Fixing A Hole
by seirios aster
Summary: The only thing worse than getting stuck in the past is getting stuck in the past and having to follow your father who happens to dislike you around. It could be worse. Maybe.
1. Chapter 1

_God, do I have a headache..._ Luke thought as he was waking up, still half asleep. There had been a party the nighty before; it had been held by Han, of course. He remembered that there had been a drinking contest between Han and Lando. Sighing, he remembered he had joined in, too. _Well_, _it serves me right to get a hangover. I never could hold alcohol well, _Luke mused as he noted he couldn't remember anything past the drinking contest. What had the party been for? Oh, yeah. They had won some major battle. Luke couldn't remember what battle it was, though (_Stupid headache_). He should have just stayed home and not listened to Leia, but she said that everyone was going to be there, and, while he hadn't seen Wedge and the rest of Rogue Squadron for a while, Luke hadn't been convinced. The topic of free food came up somewhere in the argument, and when she had said that, Leia knew she had convinced her brother.

_Wait a second...Where am I?_ Luke sat up and looked around. _Brilliant. I'm in a jail cell. That means one of a few things: a) I passed out while walking home (no way in hell I drove home), b) imperials (not likely), c) interspacial disturbance in the time-space continuum (please say I'm not stuck in _Star Trek_ **again**)._ He looked at the style of the jail cell. It looked Pre-Imperial and had Coruscantian architecture. _Well, at least I know I'm still on Coruscant._ Outside the cell were numerous police officers clustered around the holovid screen, watching it. About half were drinking their coffee while watching the news broadcast. Their uniforms looked rather old in style, Luke noted. Then he heard what the news reporter was saying. And he noticed _what_ was on the news.

_"Thanks to the clone ships and the other manned combatant ships, the Separatist's flagship, the _Invisible Hand_, reported to have both General Grievous and Count Dooku aboard, has just been damaged severely in the battle. The ship has broken apart into at least two large pieces. In addition, it is still unknown if the Supreme Chancellor is still alive. The Jedi say they have a rescue operation in progress as we speak, but one can only hope..."_

Luke decided to stop listening there. Wonderful. He was still in his own galaxy, thank the gods. Just not in a particularly great time period. _Brilliant! Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. A hangover **and** being stuck in the worst period of galactic history (aside from the Empire). The Clone Wars. Brilliant._ Luke sighed. Now to get out of the jail cell. "Uh, hey!" he called out to the police officers in general.

A few of them looked his way, and one of them blinked shortly before responding. "Oh, hey, you're awake." He walked over. "Sorry about the cell, Master Jedi."

"Huh?" Good Lord, how the hell did the police figure that out? It's not like he would be known then, thank the gods again. That would have been embarrassing if he had been in his own time. Luke could almost see the newspaper headline if he had. And what was with the whole "Master Jedi" thing?

"You had a lightsaber on you. We, of course, took that away, just in case." The policeman smiled kindly. "You must have a pretty bad hangover. We rarely ever see a Jedi drunk, let alone drunk to the point of passing out."

"With good reason," another policeman called over. He turned towards Luke. "Isn't it against the Jedi code?"

"Oh, leave him alone," a policewoman retorted. "The Jedi should be allowed to take a break and have some fun every so often, especially with this damn war going on."

Luke's headache seemed to be going away a little. He realized that maybe they would tell him some information about what was going on. His knowledge of this era was a little sketchy and incomplete, like most of those who didn't live through it and some who did but were too young to know what was going on. "If you don't mind me asking, what's going on?" Luke asked the first officer.

"Oh, well, uh..." The policeman was a little surprised the young Jedi had no clue what was going on, but answered him anyway. In truth, the attack was news to them as well. It had begun last night, and he did suppose the kid (_What is he, 25?_ thought the policeman) had been plastered last night. "Well, the Supreme Chancellor was kidnapped in a lightning raid by the Separatist forces, headed by General Grievous, of course. According to the news, victory seems near: in both the battle and maybe even the war."

"Oh." Luke supposed he sounded like a complete idiot, but he didn't really give a damn at the moment since he had no clue what the heck was going on. Who was General Grievous? More to the point, who was the Supreme Chancellor? Luke had a feeling he knew, but didn't want to acknowledge the idea. The creation of the Empire couldn't be _that_ close, could it?

The policewoman who had come to his defense earlier cleared her throat. "Maybe someone should let him out?"

"Oh, yeah," the first officer realized. He opened the cell. "Sorry. I sorta forgot."

Luke shrugged it off. "Me, too..." His attention then turned back to the news, like the rest of the people in the station.

_"Great news!"_ the news reporter announced. _"It has just been announced by the Jedi Council and the Senate that that dynamic Jedi duo have saved the day again! The Supreme Chancellor is safe, and the Separatist navy is withdrawing! Victory belongs to the Republic!"_

Luke stared at the screen, unsure of what to do. He was in the past with no known way to get back to the future. With the knowledge he had, he could change the future of the galaxy if he so chose. What a day this was turning out to be. Of course, the news broadcast had created more questions for him than it answered. Who was the "dynamic Jedi duo"? Luke decided he really didn't want to know. With his rotten luck, it would turn out to be, oh, who knows---

"Skywalker and Kenobi do it again, eh?" said the rather annoying police officer who had suggested that Luke shouldn't have been drinking to the other cops.

Luke froze. He just had to think that, didn't he? It was almost as if he had said he had a bad feeling about something. That phrase always, without fail, brought some sort of calamity on him and any of his friends who happened to be in the vicinity. Wait. If his father was that well known, then he'd have to take up a false name. Brilliant...

Another officer walked over to Luke and handed him his lightsaber. "If you don't remember where you are, the Jedi Temple's thataway," the cop told him, and pointed to the left side of the room.

"Thanks," Luke replied. Well, regardless of what he had thought about doing before, he had to admit it would probably be a good idea to go to the Jedi Temple. He imagined meeting Yoda, and then what Yoda would think some twenty-one years later when the same person crash-landed on Dagobah and asked to be trained as a Jedi. Oh God. What if he ran into Obi-Wan, or, even worse, his father. Dear Lord, that would be a disaster.

The police officer then pointed to the door. "The exit's that way."

Luke snapped out of his reverie. "Huh?" He realized what he was being told. "Oh. Thanks again." He then walked out of the station and started to head in the direction he was told the Jedi Temple was in. After five minutes, he realized that the large structure about five kilometers away was the Temple. _Well, at least I know where I'm going now..._

* * *

Luke cursed himself. How had he ended up getting granted an audience with the Jedi Council? Now he would have to lie in front of not just maybe a Jedi Knight or two about who he was, but a couple of Jedi Masters. All at once. Maybe Han was right and the Skywalker family really did have a talent for getting themselves in trouble. In the very least, Luke had a gift for it, but Leia wasn't as bad. Barely. 

While he was waiting, a Jedi Master and a Jedi Knight walked past him towards the Council Chambers talking about the recent battle. Luke really felt like he shouldn't be nosy and listen in. But he did anyway.

The Knight, who was younger, groaned. "Why did I get called back here so soon? I thought I'd have the rest of the afternoon off..."

"It's the will of the Force," the Master replied.

"You mean Yoda."

"Sometimes that's the same difference." The Master was met with a disbelieving glare. "I was told it was something about a mysterious Jedi."

_Oh, great. I ruined someone's evening because I just had to get so drunk that I passed out and woke up twenty-five years in the past._ Luke decided he wasn't going to make the best impression on the Council. Oh, Sith! He still hadn't come up with an alias!

"A new Sith?" the younger Knight asked, in a tone between alarmed and excited.

The Master shook his head. "No. He's just a normal Jedi, according to what Mace told me. Except that the Jedi apparently has similar taste in clothes as you."

Luke winced. That was harsh. It was more of an insult to the Knight, anyway.

"Ha-ha, Master. But, in case you have forgotten, I'm not your Padawan anymore and can wear whatever I like," the Knight defended his choice of clothes. Luke noticed that, aside from the Knight, he was one of the few people in the entire Temple wearing black, or a dark color for that matter. And what was a Padawan? Luke felt like smacking himself when he realized that that must be the name for an apprentice.

The Jedi Master cast Luke an amused glance, as if to let him know that the Master knew he was listening. The Jedi Knight didn't notice, but Luke did and started cursing himself in his head. He still had to think up a fake name, too. "No one's seen him at the Temple before, either. A complete mystery. No one knows his name," the Master continued to his former pupil. "I have doubts about whether he knows himself..." After that line, Luke couldn't hear that conversation anymore. A door then opened and shut a few seconds later.

Luke suddenly felt a sense of urgency to find a fake name (and had time to come up with one). How about Han's name? No, Han would kill him later. How about that fake ID of Han's, Jenos Idanian? No, that might get caught up in the future. On the same note, he couldn't say Indiana Jones, either, even if that was mixing up the letters in Jenos Idanian. He could always lift someone from the _Star Trek_ section of the universe's name, but what if he ran into someone who knew that person? Couldn't say Marty McFly, either, although that would be funny as hell seeing as Luke was stuck in a similar situation. Luke suddenly remembered a character from a very old book he had read a long time ago. (He had even had to translate the book from a dialect of Old Gaean/Terran to Basic it was so old.) Therefore, Nick Carraway it would be. If he ever got back to the future, this would be one heck of a story. And no one would believe it.

* * *

As the Jedi dressed in black walked in, Anakin couldn't decide whether he felt like laughing or whether he should just stand back politely and just say nothing. The latter possibility won out, but Anakin couldn't help but smirk since the guy looked like he had a massive hangover. Obi-Wan had been correct: the strange Jedi did have a similar taste in clothes as him, but Anakin wasn't about to bring the subject back up. The Jedi was a few years older than Anakin, but he wasn't going to hold that against him. It was strange, though. The Jedi reminded Anakin of someone, but he just couldn't figure out who it was. 

Yoda cleared his throat, and, as Anakin had expected, got straight to the point. "Who and from whence are you?" Anakin raised an eyebrow. _Whence? No one says that anymore..._

Obviously trying to hide something, the Jedi replied. "I'm Nick... Gatz." Anakin felt that the guy standing across the room was lying about his name. No doubt everyone else in the room guessed the same thing. The Jedi paused. _Quick, think of someplace really far away!_ Anakin thought, laughing in his mind. The Jedi suddenly sent him a sharp look._ /Very funny, Smart Ass./_ the Jedi replied telepathically. Then, as if to spite Anakin, the Jedi then answered Yoda's second question. "I'm from Tatooine, the planet farthest from the bright center of the universe."

"From when I asked, hail do you?" Yoda spoke more, semindicipherable.

The Jedi, whom Anakin refused to call him by his alias, was slightly unnerved. "Well, now, of course..." the Jedi lied. Anakin just knew he was lying and was wondering why none of the Jedi Masters seemed to be noticing. Except Obi-Wan. No, Obi-Wan looked slightly amused by the whole situation. He seemed to know exactly what was going on.

"How far in the future are you from?" Obi-Wan asked the Jedi.

"Why don't you believe me?" the Jedi asked. Anakin was wondering if this man was even a Jedi at all. Then he noticed the Jedi's presence in the Force. Ok, so maybe the guy was a Jedi. Anakin knew he was allowed to make mistakes. Well, ones that weren't galaxy changing. Generally.

"Because you've been lying since the get-go," Anakin mentioned. This guy really grated on his nerves, and Anakin had the feeling that the feeling was mutual. "First with your name, then the planet you're from---"

Obi-Wan, still amused, broke in. "No, I think he was telling the truth about that. Only someone from Tatooine who got away would call it what he did."

"That is true..." Anakin then revised his argument. "Okay, so you were telling the truth about where you're from, but the most obvious lie was when you are from! Are you a compulsive liar or something?"

The Jedi glared at Anakin, and the entire Jedi Council could feel the anger building up between the two. Great. They had two Jedi Knights with volatile tempers in the room instead of just one. "No, but---" The Jedi lost his train of thought and glared harder at Anakin. "God, who the hell are you! You're so... aggravating!"

"He's from the future," Mace Windu then said. "He would never have been trained in the past."

Yaddle nodded. "Much anger I sense in him."

"Like a certain other someone we know," Obi-Wan added, a comment Anakin knew was directed at him.

"Don't forget impatience," Kai-Adi-Mundi added.

The Jedi had obviously given up on saying anything and was concentrating on the floor. Anakin, however, still wanted to add insult to injury, but reminded himself that revenge isn't a Jedi thing to do, etc. "I---I don't know what to say... Maybe my presence here has effected the timestream already... Oh, God. I don't want to think about the repercussions in the present. Well, what's the present to me anyway..."

Anakin turned to see Obi-Wan patiently waiting for the guy to continue. He would never understand his old master. "So we've established that you are from the future. Is your name really of that much importance that is has to be a state secret?" Anakin asked, saying the second sentence rather venomously.

The Jedi looked up again and laughed bitterly at Anakin. "You have no idea."

"Annoying this bickering is," Yoda interrupted. "You," he said to Anakin. "Talk no more." Yoda turned to the still unknown Jedi. "You. No leading him into anger."

The Jedi looked down at the ground again, looking rather apprehensive. "Yes, Master Yoda."

Obi-Wan's smile grew to a grin. Anakin turned to him. "You know something, don't you!" Anakin accused.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Maybe... Just maybe..."

"Um." The Jedi took a deep breath and spoke again. "If you don't mind, could you tell me how to get back to the future?" For good measure, he added, "Please?"

Windu stared at the unknown Jedi. There was something much larger that the Jedi was hiding. A thought he had tried to keep from acknowledging hit him. It all fit, the bickering with young Skywalker, the dark attitude. The Force was going to be balanced the way which none of the Jedi wanted and exactly the way the Sith wanted. Two grains of sand versus a beach which would be reduced to a complementary two grains... and then nothing... except maybe this impatient Jedi with a temper who wouldn't stop arguing with the Chosen One.

"The Force will send you back when the time is right," Obi-Wan then said.

Yoda nodded. "True this is. Listen to Obi-Wan, you will."

The Jedi nodded absentmindedly, then suddenly stiffened and looked at Obi-Wan. "You---you're Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the General in the Clone Wars...?" Obi-Wan nodded. "Then that makes you..." The Jedi trailed off, staring at Anakin, who didn't see what the big deal was.

"Anakin Skywalker," Anakin finished. _Okay, maybe he has a right to be surprised. I mean, I am the guy who has been saving the Republic with Obi-Wan...  
_  
"Oh, God damn it all to hell," the Jedi cursed. To top it off, he followed that phrase up with some more four letter words.

Anakin scoffed. "Come on, even if you are from the future, there's no reason to flip out this much. It's not like I'm going to be your---"

"Don't say it," the Jedi cut him off. "Just---don't say it!"

"Ask no more questions will we," Yoda concluded. "Be assigned with young Skywalker, you will."

"What!" both the Jedi and Anakin exclaimed. "But---He---Why!"

Obi-Wan still had the mysterious smile on. "I feel it would be a good learning experience for you both."

The Jedi which Anakin figured would be following him around everywhere obviously felt like hitting someone (most likely Anakin or himself). Anakin suddenly realized he wouldn't be able to be with Padme the entire time the Jedi would be following him around. Anakin, seeing no other real course of action, stormed out of the room. The Jedi watched him with a somewhat sympathetic expression which Anakin failed to notice. Once Anakin had left the room, Obi-Wan spoke again. "And now that he's gone, your real name, please?"

"I can't tell you! What about the repercussions in the future! I can't do that..."

"No matter how bad the future is...?" Windu asked.

With a wan smile, the Jedi replied. "At least it's a future..."

Obi-Wan smiled again. "Your first name, at least."

The Jedi sighed, and, after making sure Anakin was long gone and out the door, he replied. "Luke. My name is Luke."

The Council sent Luke out of the room, and the entire time they debated, Obi-Wan's smile never faltered. After coming to an impasse about what to do with the young Jedi, the Council was let out, and Obi-Wan wasn't surprised to see two rather irked-looking Jedi Knights sitting right outside the door. Well, Anakin was a good three yards away from Luke, who obviously hadn't told Anakin his real name. As Obi-Wan passed Luke, he only had one thing to say. If he was right... "I can see why you wouldn't want to implicate your parents in this matter, especially if one of them is rather grouchy and angry at you, no less." Obi-Wan gestured to Anakin, and Luke's face turned white as a sheet. At that moment, Obi-Wan knew he had been right about who the mystery Jedi was the entire time. Anakin was going to have some explaining to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! I'd just like to thank the reviewers I've had so far, those who've favorited this story, and those who've decided to put this story on their story alert list. I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last. I'll start working on the next chapter later today because it's sorta the early morning now and I think I should maybe get a little sleep... Maybe. Again, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

* * *

Anakin hadn't stopped glaring at the unnamed Jedi ever since he had been dismissed from the Council Chambers. However, when Obi-Wan came out and said something to the Jedi, his face turned white and Anakin suddenly had a bad feeling about it. Aside, of course, from the whole thing where the Jedi (with a hangover) had to follow him around for an indefinite period of time. Meaning the Jedi Council would end up hearing all about what Anakin did in his free time, and he wouldn't be able to see Padmé until that idiot got back to his own time. 

Obi-Wan then walked over to Anakin. _Oh, no. Not another lecture._ "Anakin, we have to talk about something. It's rather important." _Wait a sec,_ Anakin thought, _if that guy's from the future, then he might know about me and Padmé... That little snitch!_

"Yes, Master, what is it?" Anakin asked, trying to put on a mask of perfect innocence.

Obi-Wan noticed. "Has someone been studying politics with a certain Senator?"

_Sith. Caught._ Anakin's façade never faltered, and he pretended to look confused. "Whatever do you mean, Master? You know I would never willingly get within a mile radius of Jar Jar."

"I don't mean Jar Jar, and you know it, Anakin." Obi-Wan motioned to the Jedi in black to come over, and he did, but he wasn't going to like it.

"Yes, B---Master Kenobi?" The Jedi noticed Anakin was giving him a death glare and looked as if he really wondered what he had done to piss Anakin off even more. _As if you don't know_, Anakin thought at him sarcastically.

"Anakin and I are going to take a little walk and have a talk about something rather important, but the last thing anyone needs is for you to get lost in the Temple, so follow us at a ...discreet distance," Obi-Wan told the Jedi.

"Yes, sir," he replied. After the two others were about ten feet off, he started following them at a similar pace.

"Now, Anakin. I'd like you to be honest. Are you and Senator Amidala romantically involved with each other?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin stayed silent for a few moments, looked back over his shoulder, glared at the Jedi from the future, turned back to Obi-Wan, and sighed. "Yes," Anakin admitted. _Why couldn't I have just lied! _Anakin asked himself, surprised he had told the truth. _I'm getting kicked out of the Order now... Why not just tell him everything since I'm screwed as it is? _"I, uh... am also, uh, sorta married to her..."

Obi-Wan sighed. _Does Anakin ever obey the rules? **Will** he ever obey the rules?_ Obi-Wan thought. "...How long?"

"Since right after Geonosis..."

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "And you've been able to keep it a secret for that long! I mean, yeah, I suspected something was going on, but..."

"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Master." _Great, now I feel like the scum of the earth, lying to Obi-Wan for so long... Force! That stupid Knight just had to tell them, didn't he!_

Seeing the look on Anakin's face, Obi-Wan stopped him. "This has nothing to do with anything that Jedi said."

"Then why did he turn white as a sheet earlier when you said something to him?"

"...I just had to make ascertain the truth of a certain hypothesis of mine. He took the comment rather adversely, and I knew what I had thought was correct."

"But it had to do with me and Padmé, didn't it?" Anakin pressed as they were walking along again.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not answering that question." He paused. "Still, I think you should try to be a little nicer to the poor guy. And, despite what you may believe, having him follow you around isn't a punishment. Everyone in the Council just agreed you would probably get along together pretty well."

They walked in relative silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Anakin spoke. "...am I going to be expelled from the Order?" he asked rather quietly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "To tell you the truth, Anakin, I don't know, but I am going to have to tell Mace and Yoda. Mace first. He'd take it better. I hope." He paused. "Anakin, you remember the story of Nomi Sunrider?"

"Well, yeah. Everyone has to learn it. Why do you ask?"

"She was married. And had children." Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head. "I have the feeling that most of the greatest Jedi have been rule breakers. It's just that none of us on the Council feel like it would be a good idea to tell headstrong Padawans who already have a total disregard for the rules about how those Jedi broke the rules. Certain Padawans might follow suit." A meaningful look was sent Anakin's way.

"Hey! At least this one is a stupid rule!" Anakin retorted, defending himself.

Obi-Wan nodded, just deciding to let Anakin have that as a victory. "But you still have to let---"

"I am not going to let that annoying Jedi from the future follow me around!"

"You should have seen how much he wanted to get us to assign him to someone else," Obi-Wan told Anakin with an amused smile.

"And you didn't, why?" Anakin demanded to know.

"Because he never actually said anything. You missed the look on his face when we told you both. It was a mix between shock and horror. Looks like you turn out to be a pretty important player in the history of the galaxy. He really doesn't want to disturb the time-space continuum. I don't know whether he's doing the right thing, though." Obi-Wan paused. "Of course, he's probably already disturbed the course of the future already..." _I would have never realized what was going on between you and Padmé for an indefinite period of time otherwise,_ Obi-Wan mused silently. _Poor Luke, having to grow up with those two as parents..._

"Obi-Wan... I just want to know. Why doesn't he want to change the future?"

"Who knows. He probably just wants to keep from changing the course of events in our time so the future doesn't change for the worse." _But what if he could change it for the better?_ Obi-Wan suddenly thought.

"I guess that makes sense... But why does he have to follow me around! Why can't it be you or Master Yoda!" Anakin paused and corrected himself. "Okay, never mind. Being with Master Yoda for prolonged periods of time can drive you crazy."

"You only say that because you have problems understanding what he's trying to say," Obi-Wan mentioned. "However, like it was said before, it would be a good learning experience for you."

"He's not gonna tell me his name. What will I call him anyway? 'Jedi'? 'Hey, you'?"

"Well, why don't you pick a name to call him?" Obi-Wan suggested. "He probably would be fine with whatever as long as you don't press him for his real name."

"Then I'm calling him... Luke," Anakin decided. "Yeah. That works. He looks like a Luke, and I've always liked that name..." Anakin paused. "Maybe I should talk to Padm---"

"Oh, dear God, Anakin. Don't tell me she's pregnant, too," Obi-Wan said, cutting Anakin off. _Always in trouble... I wonder if he'll ever **not** be in trouble..._

"Well...Uh. Yeah." Anakin looked at the floor. "I'm in really big trouble, aren't I?"

* * *

The speeder ride to wherever they were going was, needless to say, tense. _How did I get stuck with...my father? _ Luke wondered. He knew that his father wasn't exactly thrilled that Luke had to follow him around. _Why the hell am I stuck in this situation? Why am I back in the past in the first place?_ Luke sighed. 

"What?" Anakin half snapped at Luke.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all..." Luke paused and realized he did actually have a question. "Uh, may I ask where we're going?"

Anakin glanced over at Luke. "Fine. You can ask." Great. His father was sarcastic. Well, he knew where Leia got that trait now. "...Can I ask you a question about the future?"

Everything was going to hit the fan anyway, so why not? "Sure."

"What's the Jedi Order like where you're from? Is it any more lax in any of it's policies?"

Luke wondered why Anakin had asked a question like that. "Well, what policies? I mean, the only one I'm really all that familiar with is the one where you don't turn to the Dark Side."

"Oh. Never mind..." Anakin's mood then significantly brightened after that. After another few minutes of silence, Anakin answered the question Luke had asked. "We're going to visit a ...friend of mine, Senator Amidala."

"Uh, well, that brings up a few more questions, like who's Senator Amidala and why are we going to visit said Senator?" After asking, Luke decided that it probably hadn't been the smartest thing to ask, seeing that Anakin was now staring at him like he was an idiot.

Remembering he was talking to someone from the future, Anakin sighed and concentrated on driving again. "You've never heard of her?"

"No." Keeping a completely straight face, Luke thought, **_Her_**_! Oh great... It couldn't possibly be my mother... could it? Regardless, I get more chances to screw the past up completely._ Calmly, he asked, "What planet is she from?"

"Naboo. Duh. Or have you never heard of Naboo, either? Geez, what _is _ the future like, anyway? You still know where Corellia is, right?" Anakin asked, starting to get a little impatient.

"Yes, I know where Corellia is," Luke snapped. Dealing with his father when he was near the same age as Luke was much more aggravating than when his father was a Dark Lord of the Sith. "And yes, I have heard of Naboo. It's some planet in the Mid-Rim. My s---friend, who was also a Senator, told me one time that a Senator from that planet proposed that Palpatine be given emergency powers during the Clone Wars. Or something like that."

Anakin snorted, suppressing a laugh. "I know who you're talking about, but that's not Pa---Senator Amidala. Actually, I think we should start praying that she doesn't have who you've heard of over..."

Luke groaned. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"You can say that again," Anakin agreed, grinning.

* * *

Padmé was sitting at the dining room table, waiting for Anakin to come home. Unfortunately, since something had come up at work, she had found it necessary to invite Jar Jar over for dinner. Anakin wasn't exactly going to be thrilled that the Gungan was over, she knew, but she'd make it up to him later by watching those old war movies he liked so much. Honestly, what was it with men and war movies? Padmé sighed. 

"...Mistress Padmé?"

"Huh?" She turned to Threepio. "Oh, right. Dinner. Well, Jar Jar's coming over, and Ani should be home for dinner," _Force willing,_ "so have five servings, maybe six, prepared, just in case." She paused. "Make it sea food tonight..." Jar Jar had said he would be coming over (at the latest) ten minutes ago. If he was following the Mon Calamarians around again, Padmé wasn't sure she could restrain herself from yelling at him. Of course, the reason that the Gungan might be late was traffic. Why Anakin wasn't there was a complete mystery. Where was that man? Maybe she wouldn't watch the war movies with him after all...

Ten minutes later, Jar Jar arrived. Padmé gave in after a half and hour, and they ate dinner without Anakin. Of course, Jar Jar didn't know Anakin would be coming, but Padmé had already planned an excuse for him to have been there. The entire time, she talked with Jar Jar about the current unrest in the Senate and how he (and the Gungan population on Naboo) felt about it. Jar Jar had a lot to say, and the whole soliloquy was worthy of one of the Jar Jar Rant Of the Year Awards. Nevertheless, Padmé listened carefully to the entire thing and as a result was able to learn that Jar Jar had been temporarily kicked out of Oto Gunga. Again.

After another hour at about 10 at night, right as Jar Jar was about to leave, someone knocked on the door._ Now who could that be?_ Padmé wondered. Anakin would never knock. Generally. Unless she made it obvious that she had company over. Painfully obvious. "Jar Jar, could you hold on for a minute? Someone's at the door."

Jar Jar looked confused for a few seconds, then regained his composure and replied. "Yup. Meesa wait right here."

Padmé walked over to the main entrance to her apartment. She fixed her hair a bit, just in case it was some other Senator or high-ranking official who was paying a visit for one reason or another. It could also be Anakin, but Padmé didn't really think it was, and she didn't think that because whoever at the door hadn't just entered without knocking. She just had a feeling. Padmé opened the door to see a Jedi Knight about her age standing outside in the darkness. He looked pretty grave and rather nervous, although nervous didn't seem to quite explain how flustered he looked. _Oh no... Anakin! Do they know? _Padmé thought, then she feared the worst. _No... Ani can't be..._ Stowing away all of those thoughts, she put on one of her Senatorial smiles.

"Senator Amidala?" he asked, as if he wasn't sure he had the right address.

"Yes? May I help you?" Who was this mysterious Jedi? And why was he wearing black? The only Jedi she had ever saw wearing a dark color was Anakin... and the man in front of her looked like he felt like a bearer of bad news. _NO! _Padmé thought, trying to dismiss her fears._ Anakin's all right!_

"Um... Well, you see... F---A---Mr. Skywalker told me to come here and wait while he parked the speeder and, if he took longer than ten minutes, to tell you that he's sorry he took so long..." the Jedi replied, talking at a rate somewhat close to light speed.

Padmé felt instantly relieved. Anakin was all right. "Are you a friend of his?" she inquired of the Jedi.

He smiled shyly. "Sort of. I'm assigned on the same mission as him currently."

"Oh..." _Ani's going away again? So soon?_ "Oh! Where are my manners? Please come in!" Padmé announced. The Jedi smiled, obviously grateful to come inside. When he came into the light, Padmé almost thought it was actually Anakin, but she thought that only for a brief portion of a second. It was eery, though, how similar the two looked. He had the same eyes as Anakin. Maybe he was a long lost relative of Anakin. A cousin maybe. Padmé then remembered that she had Jar Jar waiting in the other room. Unsure of what to call him, Padmé said, "Jedi? I have a guest in the other room. Would you mind waiting for Anakin in the other room?"

"Uh, s---sure," he stammered in response as he followed Padmé out of the entrance hallway and into the living room where she had left Jar Jar.

"Jar Jar, as we were saying..." Padmé began. As she concluded her conversation with the Gungan, the Jedi was staring wide-eyed at the Gungan. That was funny. It was almost as if he'd never seen a Gungan before, but that was ridiculous. Everyone would have seen Jar Jar at least when he suggested Palpatine accept emergency powers. It had been on all of the news, after all. Then it occurred to Padmé that she hadn't even asked the Jedi his name.

* * *

Anakin walked into Padmé's apartment after parking the speeder (which had taken _forever; _one would think that a society advanced as theirs would have a better system to park vehicles). From the hallway, he could hear two distinct voices. One was definitely Padmé's, and the other was... _Oh, sith! Sith, sith, sith, sith! _Jar Jar Binks, representative from Naboo. _Sith._ Where was Luke, though? He wasn't waiting outside. Maybe Threepio was telling stories again to him in the kitchen or something. Anakin smiled. That would be a punishment fit for no man, but Anakin couldn't imagine leaving anyone she didn't really know around Threepio unless they made a horrible impression on her. 

Gingerly, Anakin rounded the corner and walked into the living room. Sure enough, there was Jar Jar and Padmé, talking about politics, and Luke, who looked bored out of his mind and had already seemed to have gotten enough of Jar Jar for a lifetime. He hid it well, better than Anakin could have done. He just looked like he was about to fall asleep on account of the political jabber instead of entertaining the thought of wringing Jar Jar's neck. Of course, Anakin had to wonder if he really was the only one that wanted to do that. Just then, Jar Jar noticed Anakin's presence. "Annie! Been long time since mesa seen yousa!"

Anakin smiled despite himself, not noticing the amused look on Luke's face. "Hi, Jar Jar. How've you been? Politics driven you insane yet?"

"Nope. Mesa still sane as mesa's always been." He smiled wackily. "Everyt'ing's goin okidokie. ...Except the debates about the emergency powers for the Senate, but yousa understand 'bout that."

Anakin nodded, knowingly. He never was actually really annoyed with Jar Jar when the childish fool of a Gungan was around. It was only when Jar Jar was gone that Anakin harbored less than ambivalent feelings. "So I've heard."

"Well," Jar Jar said, checking the chrono on the wall. "Mesa should get goin. Big Senate meeten in the mornin."

Padmé smiled and showed him out. "See you later, Jar Jar," she called after him as he left the apartment. When the Gungan was gone, she walked back into the living room to talk to Anakin to figure out just what exactly was going on. "Anakin, are you going to introduce your friend to me?" she asked, gesturing to Luke.

"Oh, yeah," Anakin replied, then glared at Luke. "You couldn't even introduce yourself?" he hissed at him. Luke shrugged, causing Anakin to roll his eyes. "This is Luke..." Anakin realized he would have to make up a last name, seeing as Luke wasn't going to supply his real name or offer up a fake one. Time to be incredibly uncreative and take the easy way out of the name situation. "Skywalker. He's my second or third cousin, twice removed." Luke turned to look at Anakin like he was insane. "The Council assigned him to me for some random reason."

"That's true," Luke commented. "I saw no logic whatsoever to their decision."

"They could just have easily had you stay at the Temple," Anakin said to Luke. "But, as usual, the Council is making everyone's lives a living hell, so..." Anakin smiled a little maliciously. "Have fun sleeping on the couch."

"And we were getting along so well in the speeder," Luke said sarcastically.

Neither noticed Padmé had been laughing until they stopped bickering. "Are you really sure you aren't more closely related?" she asked both of them.

"Yes," Anakin answered automatically, but noticed that Luke was strangely silent. He was upset about something, Anakin sensed. That was odd... Why would he be? Padmé was about to launch into her Anakin-you're-being-unreasonable mode and show Luke to the guest room.

Smiling, Padmé addressed Luke. "Now. Since you're a friend of a good friend of mine, you can forget about all of the 'Senator Amidala' nonsense and just call me Padmé, all right?" Luke nodded, mostly not wanting to contradict her. "Next order of business. Anakin's being a pain in the butt, so he gets to sleep on the couch tonight." Anakin was about to protest, but Padmé kept talking. "Therefore, you get to occupy the guest bedroom."

"Thank you, Sen---uh---Padmé," Luke replied. Anakin was glad to see that Luke was hesitant about using Padmé's first name but he rather irked that he was to be occupying the couch. Or was Padmé just saying that because she thought Luke might tell the Jedi Council that she and Anakin were together. Anakin had decided back in the speeder that Luke probably didn't give a damn either way and didn't even know about the no marriage rule.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Padmé exclaimed. "Don't be surprised if you run into either of the droids, Artoo or Threepio. Artoo'll just ignore you probably, but Threepio might try to tell you stories about the exploits of anyone and everyone whom we know and maybe some gossip that's been going around in the Senate. If you politely turn him down, he isn't offended. If you aren't polite..." She glared at Anakin. "...it might take a while for him to talk to you again." Luke was smiling, as if he knew exactly what Padmé was talking about. Anakin wondered if Luke had run across any droids like Threepio in the future. Heck, he might actually know the same Threepio! Anakin dismissed the idea almost immediately.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Luke told Padmé. "Not many would let strange people they don't know into their houses, much less allow them to stay overnight."

Padmé smiled. "It's no problem. Really." She turned to Anakin. "Now, you go reheat dinner for Luke and yourself, and I'll go get you blankets and a pillow so you can sleep on the couch." Anakin sighed. So she hadn't been kidding. Or she was intent on keeping up the ruse. Either way, Anakin trudged into the kitchen with Luke following him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello again! Thanks to all the reviewers, those who added this story to their favorite list, and those who added this story to their story alert list. It is very appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the other two, especially since I had to look a few things up in the Character Guide and Revenge of the Sith novel (mostly since I forgot the order of events and who are everyone on the Council). Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy!_

* * *

Luke was half-listening to Anakin complaining about having to sleep on the couch. God, his parents were weird. He had figured out Padmé was his mother the moment she had opened the door. How much alike she and Leia looked was creepy. And what was Jar Jar? That creature's way of talking was almost as convoluted as Yoda's. Luke was glad that he hadn't had to talk to Jar Jar, either way. "Um..." _What should I call him?_ "Uh. Anakin...?"

"Huh?" Anakin said, finished complaining and now watching the microwave reheat dinner. "What?"

"Was that person, Jar Jar, the one who suggested that Palpatine be given emergency powers?" Luke asked. By now he had decided that there was no doubt that Palpatine was already and still in control of the Republic and Senate.

"Yeah..." Anakin replied. He seemed a little upset by what Padmé had said about Anakin having to sleep on the couch. Luke almost felt like laughing, but had to wonder what had happened to his mother after Anakin had turned to the dark side. _They seem to be so happy together..._ Luke thought. _What happened? _Anakin cleared his throat. "Hey, do Jedi get married in the time you're from?"

Luke turned to Anakin. That was random. But how was he supposed to answer that question? "Yeah...?" Luke replied, not knowing the real answer and wondering if that was the correct thing to say. "Is there some rule against it now?" Anakin nodded. "Oh. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about you and Senator Amidala."

Anakin's eyes widened. "How did you know? The Jedi Council still hasn't figured it out! Well, besides Obi-Wan, but he's being vague about how he figured it out. And that he just confronted me about it today. I just happened to tell him everything, too." Anakin slammed his fist down on the table out of aggravation and a feeling of hopelessness. "Now I'm most likely going to get kicked out of the Order, and I have no idea why I just said all that to someone who I just met a few hours ago and still don't know the real name of." _Sorta,_ Luke thought. _How he ended up calling me by my real name, I'll probably never know. Obi-Wan certainly didn't tell him. I think..._

"Just a lucky guess, really," Luke lied in response to Anakin's question. "How long have you been hiding your marriage from the Council?" Luke asked, trying not to sound overly curious.

"A few years. It's funny. Obi-Wan was a lot less disappointed in me than I thought he would be. I feel badly for lying to him all this time, but if people knew..." Anakin shook his head. "And then there's this damn dream I---Maybe I shouldn't talk about that."

Luke shrugged. "It's all right with me. Don't you hate premonitions like that, though?"

"Yeah. They're a real pain in the ass. Especially when every single one you've had comes true," Anakin added and took a sip from the coffee he'd been drinking.

"From my experience, sometimes it's necessary to ignore them to keep the bad ones from becoming true," Luke advised, remembering a nightmare he'd had before Leia had left to go try and save Han from Jabba. Everyone had gotten killed in the nightmare, but that was because Luke hadn't been able to retrieve his lightsaber with the Force when Artoo had launched it; someone else who was a malevolent force in the dream had caught the saber. Back then, he had almost dismissed it for just a bad dream, but he had just been trying to deny that it had been a vision of a possible future. Thankfully, it hadn't come true.

"What is your real name?" Anakin asked suddenly.

"I, uh, I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but... Look, I'll tell you something about the future instead. Is that a fair trade off?" Luke suggested.

Anakin looked at Luke in disbelief. "I'm not so sure I actually want to know anything about the future..." He paused. "I think advice may be in order as a substitute, though." Anakin took a deep breath. "I've talked to one other person who has given me advice of any sort on the dream. Obi-Wan actually asked me, on behalf of the Council to spy on him, too. I---I know I trust Obi-Wan and that he's my best friend, but he... my trust was shaken when he asked me to do that. And the Council still won't make me a Master!"

"Maybe that's because they knew you were lying to them?" Luke suggested.

"No. They---they don't trust me. I don't know who to trust anymore..."

"It might have to do with, I don't know, your inability to control your temper, if it's not that they know you were lying to them."

Anakin waved it off. "That doesn't matter as much as to what I want your opinion on. The dreams I keep having... They're of Padmé dying."

"...Really?" Luke murmured. Now Anakin was getting somewhere.

"This person, the other who gave some advice told a story about a Sith. It was a Sith Lord who could control life itself... Control death... Keep people from dying. Then he went on to say how one's perception of good and evil just depended upon which side you were on. I've respected the Chancellor for a very long time, but I have this suspicion that he's... I can't say it, but..."

"The Dark Side of the Force serves only to destroy. It can't keep people from dying, but it can kill. Trust me... I know that lesson all too well..." Luke replied. He didn't even care that he just might have forever changed the fate of the galaxy. The fact that Palpatine, the architect of his father's demise, was also the one who turned him to the darkness in the first place just served to cause Luke to want to change the past. "Palpatine's a..." Luke stopped himself. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've never respected that man. He did too much to the galaxy..." Luke fell silent. _Yeah, now I've changed the future. Brilliant. Leia's so going to yell at me when I get back. I can just imagine her now... I wonder if she'd ever meet Han if our father hadn't turned to the Dark Side... And then we might have never met any of our other friends... Damn. I'm being so selfish, not wanting to change something which would cause millions to live... and Alderaan to still be a planet and not an asteroid field._

"The Chancellor has made a few changes to the government, but they're for the better, in my opinion. Things get decided on more quickly now..."

"But the point of a democracy or republic is that the power belongs to the people and not to an all-powerful despot. In general, there is more corruption in a government where there are no checks and balances than in a government where there are. During a war, however, sometimes that sort of expediency is required, but once it's over, the necessary but constant bickering has to return." Reflecting on what he just said, Luke decided Leia would have been happy with that defense of democracy.

"I hate politics," Anakin said. Luke nodded in agreement. The microwave beeped. "Oh. Food's done," Anakin then said, changing the subject and rushing over to the microwave. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Well... Last night, I think. Maybe lunch yesterday. I really can't remember dinner last night. The party was a little out of control," Luke replied, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah. You looked pretty hungover in the Council Chambers." Anakin paused as he put the food on the table. "Oh, dammit! It's seafood!" he groaned.

"It looks infinitely better than military rations," Luke retorted and started eating. It had been too long since he'd had food that looked anywhere near as good as the food which had been set on the table. "Tastes like it looks, too."

Anakin laughed. "You can say that again."

* * *

The next day, Anakin was back at the Jedi Temple, as appointed Palpatine's representative on the Council. Luke was waiting outside, most likely bored. He didn't know why, but Anakin somehow felt like he could trust Luke with his life, even though he had known him for only a day. But right now, he was presenting the data which Palpatine had received from Clone Intelligence to the Council. He remembered Luke's reaction about the conversation Anakin had had with the Chancellor. Why had Luke reacted like that? Anakin sighed and dismissed the thoughts. "...In conclusion, the Chancellor has requested that I lead this mission. Any thoughts?"

"Yes," Mace replied. "The Chancellor does not decide matters which the Council has traditionally decided for themselves." A meaningful stare was sent Anakin's way.

"Regardless, this mission needs a Jedi with a stable and thoughtful mind, not one who would charge into battle without a plan," Adi Gallia mentioned.

"Correct, she is," Yoda agreed.

"And with the current strain on resources, we should probably send only one Jedi," Obi-Wan suggested. Everyone but Anakin (who was rather clueless to what the others were getting at) stared at Obi-Wan. "What? ...You don't mean---"

"Send Obi-Wan we should," Yoda decided.

"Any objections or comments?" Mace asked.

Anakin felt like saying that he would be better, but realized that Obi-Wan probably was the right Jedi for the job. It was strange. If the data had been discovered yesterday, then Anakin thought he would have given the Council hell about not letting him go. How odd. Then, seeing the possibility for a last ditch effort to get rid of Luke, Anakin started, "Hey, if we have such a drain on resources, why don't we send---"

"No," was the unanimous answer from the Council.

"Ok," Anakin replied. He really wasn't upset about it. In fact, he realized that he had had an ulterior motive for suggesting Luke: he seemed like the right person to to the job. Somehow. "Not that I really object to sending Obi-Wan, but why---"

"Later, Anakin," Obi-Wan cut him off. Anakin then realized that the Council was trying to keep Luke's appearance a secret, but Anakin wasn't sure from whom. ...Sidious?

"Then unanimous the decision is. Obi-Wan we will send," Yoda announced.

* * *

After the meeting had been dismissed, Obi-Wan and Mace remained behind to speak with Yoda about Luke. As far as Obi-Wan knew, Anakin remained completely oblivious to who Luke really was, even though Anakin was apparently calling Luke by his real name. Padmé had told him that earlier when he had visited her to talk about what Anakin had revealed and what might happen to Anakin's place in the Order. It was actually a pleasant conversation, and she took it all really well. Obi-Wan sighed. "So. Why do you think the Force has done this?"

"Strange ways the Force works in," Yoda replied. That made sense, but provided absolutely no new information. Yoda was a master of talking around things like that.

"I know ti sounds outlandish, but maybe something horrible is about to happen, and the only way to keep it from happening is to bring someone who knows what happened into the past?" Mace suggested.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Well, there is a specific bit of information that I've figured out. I know exactly who Luke is, and it would explain his reaction to Anakin quite well."

"And?" Mace asked. "Who is he?"

"Obi-Wan. A secret this must stay, you believe," Yoda said.

"It would most likely be for the better if no one else found out. Especially Palpatine, if he is truly being controlled by Sidious. A Dark Lord knowing would spell disaster. Also, there's also the tiny detail which has to do with a certain someone."

"Oh, Force. What has Anakin done _this_ time?" Mace asked, dreading the answer.

"The Council's going to have a long talk about what to do with him about this particular broken rule," Obi-Wan replied, trying to break the news as gently as possible.

"Sounding like a politician, you are. Get to the point, you should," Yoda instructed.

"Well. I think you may have already guessed, but guess what Luke's last name is?"

"Oh dear God," Mace said. "He's Anakin's _son_? No wonder he didn't want to say his name when Anakin was in the room."

Yoda sighed and shook his head. "Then last of the Jedi he is. Know the identity of the Dark Lord does he. Battled the Sith did he."

Obi-Wan turned to Yoda. "Why do you say that? The future could be without the Sith. The Force could still be balanced."

Mace nodded gravely. "It probably is, Obi-Wan. In the future he's from, the Force is probably balanced so there are no Sith _or_ Jedi. Except for our guest from the future."

"Then do we really want the Force balanced if it means the annihilation of the Jedi?"

"This is why 'Train him we should not,' said I when to the Temple Qui-Gon brought young Skywalker---Anakin," Yoda mentioned, sending a meaningful glance Mace's way. "Told you so I did."

"Then you were correct. Don't rub it in," Mace told Yoda. "It's un-Jedi-like."

* * *

Padmé was hosting a meeting of Senators who were dissatisfied with Palpatine's control of the government. Senator Eekway was voicing her concerns about the governors and "security forces" which Palpatine had recently put in place. The most dominant speakers in the meeting were Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. They were the ones most against the recent developments, but what Eekway was starting to suggest... "We can't start another civil war! Not with this one still proceeding!"

"That's the worst outcome for us all," Bail agreed. "I'm not positive on everyone else's system's military, but Alderaan is a peaceful planet with no military! We don't have planetary defenses, even. The last thing we would ever want is to be involved in a war."

"This petition would be a chance for a political outcome to avoid a confrontation," Mon Mothma reiterated. "Like you said, maybe we should involve the Jedi, but we don't know where they stand in this."

Bana Breemu nodded in agreement. "If they were with Palpatine, then asking them for help would be ...unwise, I should think."

"No. The Jedi are as much against Palpatine's measures as we are, if not more," Padmé replied. "They would gladly help." Breemu raised an eyebrow. "One Jedi, then."

"Senator Amidala is quite right," Giddean Danu added. "We need the support of the Jedi. The people believe in them to be morally in the right."

Fang Zar shrugged. "Maybe the petition will be enough to persuade the Chancellor to moderate his tactics lest he force a rebellion."

The Senators then heard someone laughing. Padmé turned around to see Luke standing there. Why was he back? ...Was Anakin there as well? Luke smiled sadly and addressed the Senators. "I'm sorry to ruin your illusions, but nothing short of a rebellion will cause Palpatine to stop. He'll just keep taking power and exploiting planets and people. Maybe the only solution is to stop him before he becomes too powerful?"

Bail Organa stared at Luke, having a sinking feeling that what Luke had said was true. "And what will that accomplish? Besides even more death? We cannot start another war in the middle of this one! And what will happen to the Republic if we lose?"

Luke shrugged. "It could be worse. Palpatine could declare himself Despot-For-Life." A pause. "Look. I'm no politician, but you're just going to have to believe me on this one: a fight is the only way out."

Mon Mothma stared at him. "And what do the Jedi think? Do you know? Would they support us?" Padmé was wondering why Mon Mothma would trust Luke's word more than her's.

"Without a doubt. They'd fight on the front lines, if necessary."

"And why should we believe you?" Breemu demanded. "The Jedi seem more and more concerned with themselves and keeping themselves in power recently. Would they really risk the status they still have to overthrow the Chancellor?"

Luke felt like glaring at the annoying Senator. She was too much like Fey'lya. "First, the Chancellor's the corrupt one, not the Jedi. Furthermore, the Jedi are selfless. Second, the reason you should believe me is that I'm a Jedi myself, and even if some of the Masters on the Council agreed, I have no doubt that they could be convinced otherwise." _Even if that means telling them about the Purges,_ he added silently. "Against Palpatine, they have more to lose than anyone," Luke continued, trying to drive the point home. "Just remember how thin the Jedi are spread out in fighting the Clone Wars. Think about how many clones there are in proportion to the Jedi. If Palpatine turned against the Jedi, think about how quickly the Jedi who are out there _fighting for the Republic_ would die." Thank the Force Anakin had briefed him on the military situation.

"It's almost as if it's planned," Bail murmured. "If Palpatine eliminated the Jedi, then there would be nothing holding him back..."

Padmé just stared at Luke. He had convinced the nonbelievers in the room by stating facts that everyone knew, just put in a way that it all made sense. It almost felt like he was dealing with history, but this was only hypothetical talking. Sure, Palpatine was grabbing for power, but he wouldn't make himself dictator? And why would he be planning the destruction of the Jedi if he wasn't going to declare himself as such? "With the super majority..." Padmé mused. "Palpatine could declare himself, I don't know, Emperor. Then where would the democracy be?"

"Fighting a guerilla war against the injustice of the then Empire," Luke replied. _Well, now I'm stuck changing the past for the long run, _he realized. _I just know Leia will still yell at me, regardless. Actually, the only way this could get worse is if Leia showed up, too. ... ... ... ... Oh, dammit. I just had to think it, didn't I?_

"...Why are you, a Jedi, here?" Breemu asked as maliciously as she dared to go.

"Oh. I almost forgot." Luke turned to Padmé. "The Council would like to see you later this week, at your convenience, of course. It has something to do with Naboo, I believe."

Padmé was stunned, but didn't show it. "Oh. Thank you." _So they finally know..._ she thought as Luke left. _Strange that they'd have Anakin's cousin deliver the news, though._

* * *

As he watched Anakin walk over to his speeder, Obi-Wan's sense of foreboding lifted. Palpatine had less of a hold on Anakin now. If what Mace and Yoda had said was true, then it would imply that Anakin would bring the destruction of the Jedi. Luke would know the exact same thing, having lived after it. Therefore, Luke would probably try to keep that from happening. And, Obi-Wan noted, had already almost called Palpatine a lying son of a wampa (_Whatever a wampa is_, Obi-Wan had mused when Luke had mentioned this). Anakin was also a lot less angry at the galaxy in general. Apparently the hiding of his and Padmé's relationship had put a lot of stress on Anakin.

Obi-Wan smiled, knowing that, somehow, everything might turn out all right. He walked over to the shuttle which would be transporting him to one of the Star Destroyers in orbit. The _Vigilance_ would then take him almost all the way to Utapau, and then Obi-Wan would board his starfighter and journey the rest of the way to the planet alone. There was a man leaning against one of the bars which lowered the boarding ramp. He waved to Obi-Wan. "Hello. I take it you'll be the pilot of this craft?"

The man smiled a lopsided grin. "Of course. It's not the best ship in the world, though. The seats are uncomfortable and it's slow as dirt," he replied. Obi-Wan noted that the pilot's accent was unmistakably Corellian. A good pilot, then. Probably. They walked inside towards the passenger lounge.

"What happened to the normal pilots?" Obi-Wan asked, curious.

"Nothing," the Corellian replied. "It's just that me and some friends of mine decided to enlist. We're happy to be helping the Jedi."

_That's strange... They're better than the clones?_ "Well, thank you for the help with the war effort," Obi-Wan said, once they'd reached the destination.

"Good luck with Grievous," the pilot said, grinning. "From what I've heard, you're gonna need it."


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello, yet again! Wow. That's a lot of reviews. I cannot express my happiness with words. Thank you very much for reading this, and I'd like to extend a very special thanks to all of the reviewers, those who have favorited this, and also those who have added this story to their story alert list. I am very flattered. I can only hope that you like this next chapter as much as the last ones because I got lost in the Character Guide again spending about a half an hour looking up characters who aren't even in the story. Again, thank you very much for reading and enjoy!

* * *

_ Anakin was listening to what the Chancellor was saying, but now he took everything Palpatine said with cynicism towards the Chancellor's intentions. Currently, Anakin was just smiling and nodding to whatever was just said. Now he was talking about Obi-Wan not being the right Jedi for dispatching Grievous. "Well, Chancellor, I beg your pardon, but I agree with the Council's decision. Obi-Wan is the correct choice. I would probably go in with some half-baked plan and be captured almost immediately. I'd get out, of course, but the element of surprise would be gone. Obi-Wan would probably be able to sneak up on Grievous and finish the war within one fight." 

Palpatine suddenly recognized the change in Anakin. He was more sure of himself, not angry at the Council... Exactly the opposite of what Skywalker should have been! Anakin should have been an angry, mistrusting wreck who hadn't eaten or slept for days! Would he be able to be turned as easily? Palpatine knew he had to try to make Anakin doubt the Order. Otherwise his Empire would never be. But it should be. Did it have to do with that disturbance in the Force? "I still fear, Anakin," Palpatine said in his best it's-a-pity voice, "that Obi-Wan might fail in his mission and fall to Grievous. What if, had you gone, Grievous would have been captured?"

Anakin couldn't contain his surprise. He could tell Palpatine was spouting lies at him. That was fake concern and the words were hollow. Anakin knew that he had to keep up a ruse of agreeing with him. Maybe Obi-Wan and the Council were right in asking him to spy on Palpatine... _Well, time to test my acting and espionage skills, _Anakin thought. "I don't know, sir. Maybe I'd be sent next, but I truly cannot tell for certain."

Palpatine sighed, not really meaning it. "Regardless, I have some important business to discuss with you. There is a ...disturbing development in the Senate. A large number of Senators, about two thousand, have decided that I need to be removed from office by... other means than law dictates."

Anakin blinked and put on a surprised expression, half-feeling it anyway. "Treason? What Senators? Surely they don't mean to start another war!"

"Unfortunately. There is a rumor that the leaders of the group have fallen under the enchantments of the Jedi Council, and as a result could be drifting towards the Council's plot to overthrow the legitimate government." During the pause, Anakin thought, _That's complete and utter sithspit._ Palpatine continued, "However, this _is_ just a rumor. But, I feel as though it is our duty to be prepared for the worst. Therefore, I would like you to be present at my meeting with the delegation representing the group today."

"Me? Sir, of all people, why would you choose me? If you want a Jedi to act as a truth-sayer, then I hardly think that I'm suitable for the job." Anakin then remembered he had to pretend to still be following Palpatine's every word, so now he had to smooth that comment over. "Chancellor, I haven't been in the greatest state of mind in the recent past, and I don't know how useful I'll be, but if you really insist on my presence, I'll try to help."

"Good. I appreciate it," Palpatine replied and gave Anakin a list of the Senators who were "against" the Republic. Palpatine kept talking about who he suspected and how corrupt the Jedi Council seemed to be to him, and Anakin just listened, sensing the lies and wondering how he had ever trusted the man. He wanted to walk out of the room, tell the Council everything, all of the conspiracy theories Palpatine was spouting, and never speak to the Chancellor ever again. But Anakin had a job to do, so he would suffer the talk for as long as it required him. After the conversation finished and he was outside, Anakin hopped in his speeder and went straight to the Temple to report.

* * *

Luke hadn't heard the last two things that Yoda or Mace Windu asked him. He was sill stuck on Yoda asking who the Dark Lord he fought was. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" 

"Know we do who you are," Yoda replied. "From the future are you; therefore ask you we did who the Dark Lord of the Sith is."

"Besides Anakin," Mace added. "It's a pity the Force balanced like that."

"Yeah. I heard you asking whom the Dark Lord is, but... _how_? How did..." Luke trailed off, realizing who said what. "It was Obi-Wan, wasn't it?"

"No one else knows but Obi-Wan," Yoda replied. "Tell Anakin, he did not."

"Oh. That's nice." The shock had finally set in, and Luke was wondering how in the world Yoda had figured out that he had fought the Sith and that the Jedi were mostly extinct in the future. "Well. I don't really know what to say. I don't really think I should tell you who the Em---Dark Lords are." Almost slipped. Again. Luke had been wanting to call Palpatine the Emperor the entire time he'd been in the past, and it was really starting to grate on his nerves.

"You have a point," Mace admitted. "It wouldn't be quite as effective for you to tell us who the Sith is then go off and ...eliminate the threat to the Republic. Then we wouldn't know how to identify Sith in the future, and that means that this might happen again."

"But if more dire the situation becomes, help us you should," Yoda decided.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. If the Sith Lord goes too far, then you can bet I'd help keep him from taking over the galaxy. One of the things that made me decide to help is that where I'm from, millions, maybe billions have died because of that madman. After a while, I just couldn't stand doing nothing anymore."

"If you don't mind us asking, what made you change your mind?" Mace asked.

"Well... First it was hearing someone in particular praise the Sith Lord, and then the final nail in the casket was listening to the Senators who are signing the Petition of Two Thousand talk. They seemed all too optimistic about the outcome of the Petition, but..."

"Relinquish the power, Palpatine would not," Yoda finished. "Find the Sith controlling the Senate, we must."

"Exactly," Luke said, wondering how they still hadn't figured out that Palpatine was the Sith. From what Luke had heard, the Chancellor certainly acted like it.

* * *

Obi-Wan had been having what some would call a fun time while traveling to Utapau. The Corellian, who had introduced himself as Vykk Draygo, was quite the conversationalist and added expletives into sentences as often as articles. The friends of Vykk were just as odd. One, who was another Corellian that was less like a smuggler than his friend, introduced himself as Kettch, no first name. Within the first hour of hyperspace, Obi-Wan knew that they were both lying about their names, but he said nothing. Another eleven pilots were introduced by Kettch as the One-Hundred-and-Eighty-First. The pilots had laughed when Kettch had said that, and Obi-Wan was left to guess why that was so funny. The last of the group was introduced by Draygo as Tamtel Skreej, "expert sabacc player and decent pilot." 

Obi-Wan checked his wrist chrono. There was still an hour left until they dropped out of hyperspace. He looked around the room. A few of the pilots were engaged in a game of sabacc, and Draygo and Skreej seemed to be winning, as far as Obi-Wan could tell. "Who's winning?" he asked anyway.

"Uh, H---Vykk," Kettch told him. "Tamtel's in short second, and I'm currently down a few hundred. " He turned to one of the pilots introduced as being in the 181. "Right, Halcyon? Or have I passed the thousand mark yet?"

Halcyon stared at Kettch. "No. Not _yet_, but it seems like you're going to soon."

Obi-Wan continued to watch the group (which was predominantly Corellian) play sabacc. As the one calling himself Halcyon had predicted, Kettch had lost a thousand of whatever they were playing with. Obi-Wan had thought it was credits, but as the play had progressed, his conjecture had proven false. Finally, Obi-Wan gave in and asked. "What are you betting with?"

"Rations coupons, spare change," Halcyon replied nonchalantly. "Every coupon is worth fifty, and the change is 'worth' a hundred times it's normal amount, meaning a penny's worth one."

"And pocket lint's worth ten," Vykk added. "Rubber bands are twenty-five, and a roll of engine tape is worth two hundred."

Kettch laughed. "Hey, you guys ever heard that joke about engine tape?"

One of the other pilots walked over. "You don't want to hear it."

"Hobbie! Don't tell them that!" Kettch exclaimed.

"If Wes were here, he'd back me up. That is the most overused joke out of your entire repertoire of bad jokes," Hobbie replied.

"If you let him tell it, then we could get back to the card game sooner than later," Tamtel mentioned.

"I agree," Halcyon added, counting his "winnings" of vouchers and a rubber band.

"What's the joke about engine tape?" Obi-Wan asked. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard a joke about engine tape.

"Oh, God, now he has to tell it," Vykk muttered.

"What do engine tape and the Force have in common?" Kettch asked.

Obi-Wan stared at Kettch blankly. He had no clue and had a bad feeling about this.

"They have a light side and a dark side and bind the universe together," Kettch, along with most of the people in the room finished. Of course, most of the people who had protested against the telling of the joke actually thought it was funny, but overdone, judging by the fact that a few had actually laughed out loud.

Obi-Wan sensed something strange about the group, though. They seemed like hardened warriors, but they didn't all seem to be professional mercenaries, smugglers, or bounty hunters, with some exceptions such as Vykk and maybe Tamtel. The Republic had been at peace for too long to produce people such as those without them being in one of the former professions. But it didn't sound like Vykk or any of the others had had any combat experience in the current war, so how could they come off as veterans of battle? Unless there were more denizens of the future in the past. Only one way to make sure. "Do any of you happen to know a Jedi named Luke---" Obi-Wan stopped was cut off.

"What has Kid gotten himself involved in this time?" The one that cut him off was Vykk, who was shuffling the cards nonchalantly. Obi-Wan looked around and saw that none of the others looked in the least bit surprised that he knew their friend. Of course, this meant that they were from the future. Obi-Wan had to start wondering if everyone from the future was as crazy as the people he'd met so far.

"You mean he's a disaster-magnet, too?" Obi-Wan asked no one in particular. "I should have guessed."

"'Too'? What do you mean by that?" Kettch asked.

Vykk laughed and turned to Kettch. "What do you think it means, Kettch?" He paused and turned to Obi-Wan. "If you don't mind, we'll keep using our pseudonyms for the duration of our stay, most likely. It's useful to keep from incriminating oneself before our time. And trust me, we need to do that."

Halcyon turned to Obi-Wan, having a vague notion of the answer. "I take it that you're Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"O-o-oh," was all that Kettch could say. "Didn't he end up training... Never mind," he silenced himself.

"So, in other news, how is the Destroyer of Civilizations?" Vykk asked, obviously meaning Anakin.

"It gets that bad?" Obi-Wan asked and received furious nods from multiple people. "Well, if you seem to have that much abhorrence against my former disaster-prone pupil, I take it that you'd be amused to know that he's in deep trouble with the Order."

"Ok, now I'm confused," Kettch said. "We _are_ talking about Vader, aren't we?"

"Yes," was the chorus of replies.

"Well, I'm already amused," Vykk said. "May we ask why to take further amusement in other's misfortunes? Or is he just in trouble for being evil?"

"Not yet, and hopefully not at all," Obi-Wan replied, wondering how well these people knew Luke. It sounded like they knew him all too well. "Anakin's in trouble with the Order because of a certain Senator."

Halcyon was the only one who understood what Obi-Wan was getting at. "So he's yet another case of the Jedi breaking the 'no marriage' rule?"

"There's a rule against that?" Vykk asked, suddenly interested. Obi-Wan guessed only the Force knew why. That, Tamtel, and the squadron of starfighter pilots.

One of the other pilots, an Alderaanian, arched an eyebrow. "And why would you be worried about that? The Princess isn't going to train to be a Jedi for quite a while, judging by all the work it's been taking to make as much progress as we have. Besides, the Prince of Hapes would be a much better suitor, and---"

"Shut up, Tycho," Vykk snapped at the Alderaanian.

Obi-Wan cracked a smile._ So the most likely former smuggler is in love with a Jedi Princess? _he thought. What_ is it with this galaxy and fairy-tale relationships?_ He then answered Halcyon. "Yes. Anakin's broken virtually every other rule in the book as well."

* * *

When Obi-Wan landed on Utapau, he was warned away by the Master of Port Administration, who told him that Grievous was indeed on the planet, but that it was a trap. He had then learned of how there were thousands of droids a few levels down on the tenth level, most likely where the cyborg General was. He had told the Master of Port Administration that the Utapauns would best seek shelter, then turned to Geenine and instructed him to tell Commander Cody that he had found Grievous and was currently engaging him. After a few last words with the Utapaun official, Obi-Wan went General Grievous hunting.

* * *

After Cody's report, Mace told Anakin to deliver the report to the Chancellor and note Palpatine's reaction. He had complied and subsequently left. Before the call, Anakin had delivered information about the Chancellor to the Council, every last word right down to the conspiracy theory Palpatine was spinning about the Council. Many of the Masters had been surprised by the change, except Mace and Yoda. They knew that the Skywalker from the future had most likely already expressed his feelings toward Palpatine with his father and that Anakin had started to take the same position. Whatever the cause of the change, the Jedi now had the upper hand. "Maybe we shall know the identity of the Sith Lord sooner than we thought..."

* * *

After commandeering a feathered-dragon, Obi-Wan had found the cyborg General. He was now watching the area where said General was. Steadily, Obi-Wan made his way towards Grievous. Once in the arena and standing near Grievous, four of the General's bodyguard droids stepped in between Obi-Wan and Grievous. Why did they always want to do it the hard way? Obi-Wan sighed, then spoke to the cyborg. "General Grievous, in the name of the Republic, you are under arrest." 

The other General laughed. "Oh, really? Is this the time when you give me two options? Surrender or death? I have no great liking to either choice, so I'll invent another: instead of my death, you'll be added to the casualty list today."

"If you insist on being suicidal, I'll gladly help."

Grievous was tiring of all the talking. "Kill him," he ordered the droids, but in a matter of minutes, many of the droids had been dismantled, and Obi-Wan was standing next to Grievous.

"General, you still have time to reconsider," the Jedi told the cyborg.

Grievous laughed. "If you think that after that show I would surrender, you're crazier or stupider than I originally thought."

"This is your last chance..." Obi-Wan received no response. "No? If that's your final offer I guess it's a battle to the death, then."

"Maybe to your _death_, but not mine," Grievous threatened. He then took out the four lightsabers of the Jedi he had killed and split his two arms into the four to hold all of the sabers. "Bring it on, Jedi."

"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied as Grievous started spinning each of the lightsabers around like pinwheels. Inwardly groaning, Obi-Wan thought, _It's just not my day, is it? _as he started to do battle with the cyborg General Grievous.

* * *

When Anakin delivered the news of Grievous' soon-to-be apprehension, he had expected Palpatine to react in some form, but there was almost none. "Um, Chancellor. This means that the war is almost _over_! No more fighting! Why---" 

"Are you really sure it is going to bring an end to the fighting?" Palpatine shook his head. "No. Then the Jedi Council will strike. I'll be arrested and then the first to be executed. They could make their move and be in control soon."

Anakin knew now that this was all a bunch of lies. When he had told the Council of the theory, they had stared at him like he was insane, and when Anakin had told Luke, Luke had started laughing and said that he expected that sort of nonsense from Palpatine. He had even asked Padmé for her opinion, and she had told Anakin the exact same thing that the Council and Luke had said: it was all lies. "But sir, I just don't think that the Council is capable of that! You and the Council haven't always seen eye to eye, but that doesn't mean that they're planning a hostile takeover of the Republic!"

"This isn't just me against them! It's a plan which has spanned generations! Maybe even since the wars against the Sith!" Palpatine faked a sigh. "Anakin, you know that the Council doesn't trust you and probably never will. Not even your best friend has even told you the true intentions of the Council."

Anakin thought, _When I told Luke, he scoffed and said, "Maybe he's actually telling you **his** plans instead. Anakin, you know that the Jedi would never do something like that. It's not in their nature, but it is in **others'**..."_ Anakin shook his head. "No, but I trust him. I trust the Council. The Jedi serve the Senate, not themselves. Otherwise the institution would have collapsed already, been collapsed already."

"Then why did they send you to spy on me?" Palpatine asked. Anakin wanted to respond but didn't know how to deny what he knew to be true. "Don't bother answering. It's just proof of the subversion inherent in the Jedi Council. ...and, by proxy, the Senators who signed the Petition. It's even more proof. When the arrests start, the difference between who is and who isn't arrested will be based on that document." Palpatine paused for a moment, but not long enough for Anakin to respond. "Of course, even though Senator Amidala is on the list, that doesn't necessarily mean that she would stay on that side once she knew. You could both be perfectly happy together."

_What!_ Anakin thought. _How does he know? It's not **that** obvious, is it? I mean, Luke figured it out, but I think he had help, and I'd kept it a secret from a roomful of **Jedi Masters**!_ "H--How! How do you---Never mind. You just said she'd betray the Republic!"

"Her fate, the fate of the Republic, it's all up to you, Anakin." Palpatine smiled wickedly. "Join me, and we can _save her_. You yourself said of how she died in your visions. Remember the _Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise_? It was true. The Dark Side has the power. _I_ can teach you that power."

The realization dawned on Anakin that Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith. Palpatine was Sidious! "You---you're Sidious! You've been the one who's caused the war! As a Jedi, I should kill you!" Anakin drew his lightsaber.

"But I'm your friend. Friends don't stab friends in the back," Palpatine said calmly.

"You're the Sith Lord that's been in control of the Senate! You're the one behind all of the assassination attempts on Padmé!"

"You are aware that if I die, all that I know dies with me. Even what can save your wife," Palpatine said. Anakin stopped in his tracks and couldn't speak. He had almost forgotten about his dreams, but here was Palpatine offering a way out. Through the Dark Side. But Anakin remembered. _The Dark Side serves only to destroy... Sometimes it's necessary to ignore the nightmares in order to keep them from coming true..._

"Excuse me, Chancellor, but I have to think about this," Anakin said, and he calmly walked out the door. Once it shut, he sprinted to his speeder and speed towards the Temple. The Jedi had to know, and Anakin knew that, no matter what, Palpatine had to be stopped. He was sure of that now.

* * *

_I know I've been a little lax about responding to reviews, but I've been meaning to, so here it is:_

_ **BGTom**: I agree and disagree. The resulting future is an alternate universe to Luke & the normal Star Wars crew, but to those in RotS land, it is changing the future. Just my thoughts._

_ **Crow T R0bot**: I really am very sorry if you got that impression. I actually like Jar Jar, too. What I was trying to say was that Anakin gets peeved with Jar Jar from time to time, but doesn't really harbor any negative feelings towards him (most of the time). With Luke it was mostly that he didn't know what to say, not that he didn't like Jar Jar. And Padmé... well, sorry if you took offense to the "Jar Jar Rant of the Year Award." Again, sorry!  
_

_**Sarag** (or Sarah?): Looking back, I completely agree with what you said. The breaking of the suspension of belief does detract from the story. Thank you for the advice._

_**Flaming Gun**: Yes. I know about the grammer. I try to catch the most blatant mistakes, but that's not always enough. On the spelling... I think I made a word up, and I now know the correct way to spell semi-indecipherable._

_**Yuna-flowering**: As you can see, you were correct, and thanks for saying that about the Yoda line. I was thinking of not including it._

_**All of the Reviewers**: Thank you all for reviewing. I really appreciate it, and your advice and opinion means a lot to me. So, for a final time, thank you.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello again! As usual, I am to thank you for the reviews, thank you for favoriting this story, and thank you for adding this story to your story alert list. Thank you for everything, even if you just read it and don't take any action whatsoever but that. I hope you like this chapter. Everything becomes clear(er). Maybe. Anyway, thank you very much for reading._

* * *

Bail knew that some of Palpatine's methods were insane, but he was suggesting that that democracy be dismantled! It was too preposterous to even imagine, but here the Chancellor was, subtly hinting it. To Bail's new aide, Carrie, it was painfully obvious that Palpatine was planning to make himself Emperor. She turned to him, wanting to speak on the Senate floor. Bail smiled and nodded. Even though she had been his aide for a few days, he trusted her, but he knew what she was going to say would probably cause the Senate to start a riot. She had insisted, however, that she take any and all blame for the effects of what she said. Bail just sat back and waited for her to speak.

"My fellow Senators!" she called out. "Do you realize what Palpatine is insinuating? He's trying to declare himself _Emperor_! But Emperor of what? A republic cannot have a single ruler! It defeats the purpose to having a democratic republic! An Emperor can only lead an Empire! Don't you realize this?"

Padmé turned to look at the young woman addressing the Senate. That had been a bold move, and Padmé doubted that the woman would get away with it. _Wait, that's Bail's new aide! _Padmé realized, _and she looks eerily familiar... but who does she look like? Anakin...? But that means... _The Senate had now silenced. Everyone wanted to hear what the aide had to say, but many wanted to listen so they could laugh at the insane claims. The future leaders of the Rebellion were truly interested, on the other hand.

"If we let this maniac come into power in name and fact, then who knows what horrors he will wreak on the galaxy!" Carrie paused and made up her mind about what she was going to say. "Actually, I do know. You may not believe it, but, in truth, I'm from the future. In sixteen years, if the future turns out as it did, I'd be in this esteemed hall with many of you. By then, it's only a puppet and doesn't really decide anything anymore. But in this hall is where the heroes of the future are. Three Senators sign a treaty to create an Alliance to stop the corruption and death the Empire symbolized. By the turning point of the war, one of the signers is dead, another has left the group, and the last is holding the Rebellion together.

"My friends, please don't let this monster have the opportunity to change the government so much that it becomes so evil and corrupt that it becomes necessary to rebel! If you permit me, I can tell you many, many examples of the Empire's corruption and ruthlessness. I can list the planets which have been rendered barren, razed, devastated by man-made plagues, or... in one case, completely annihilated. I am one of the survivors of one such planet. The only reason I am alive is that I was forced to watch A---my home-world be destroyed so the agents of the Empire could discover the location of the Rebel base! It didn't help, though, that I _told them_. My home-world was destroyed anyway.

"Afterwards, it was discovered that the base had been fully evacuated, and the servants of the Empire signed the order for my execution." She glared at Palpatine. "You hear that! I'm one of the traitors you're so afraid of! But the Jedi are not traitors! They fought for the preservation for the Republic, and like my home-world, my defenseless, pacifistic home-world, you murdered them all!"

That particular sentence caught the attention of the entire Senate. The only planet which would dare oppose Palpatine that had no military, no defenses, and was mostly pacifistic was Alderaan. And the Jedi, the Guardians of Peace and Justice, were murdered... like all those on Alderaan? _What have we been thinking?_ most of the Senators thought. The stanchest supporters of Palpatine, however, scoffed and dismissed the aide as crazy.

"If that's correct, then how did you get here?" one Senator asked her, skeptical about her claims.

"I bet these so called Rebels are actually traitorous war-criminals!" another shouted.

Padmé couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and shouted, "The Jedi are incorruptible! They fight for the Republic! And why would Alderaan be destroyed? Alderaanians are good people, and, for a change, their politicians are not corrupt! Why not, instead of doubting her you listen and wonder why she would say that if it weren't true!"

Mon Mothma stood up. "I agree with Senator Amidala! Palpatine's been hinting for weeks now that the Jedi are corrupt! We should be more concerned with how corrupt this mass of people is than others who have been known to be incorruptible for millennia!"

Garm Bel Ibis stood. "They're both right. We've known that some of us in this room are corrupt and we haven't done anything about it for over a decade. Now Palpatine's suggesting we change the government? Not only that, but have him leading us? It's completely idiotic! Eventually, the governors which were recently posted in our systems may usurp the power of the Senate! Those governors are not elected but chosen by the Chancellor! And with all of those troops, it's almost impossible to resist!"

Bail saw his turn come up and, like the other two future signers of the Corellian Treaty, spoke against Palpatine. "Even if Alderaan hadn't been brought into the picture, what she accuses him of is against all of the ideals of the Republic. I guarantee you, though, that if Alderaan is to be destroyed by the soon-to-be Empire, I would still pledge my loyalty to those that deserve it. Even if it means my death and the death of my people."

"It's not smart to make martyrs of peoples who uphold peace and justice," the Senator masquerading as an aide told Palpatine. "Your mistakes would never become apparent to you. You built a machine capable of destroying an entire planet and did so. You put bounties on the so-called traitors to peace. You made martyrs of Camaas, Firrerre, Alderaan, and other planets. You made martyrs of the Jedi. You chased the Rebel Alliance from one corner of the galaxy to another, but never really caught us. You had your most fearsome henchman try to turn the one of the Rebellion's heroes to your side. You built a second machine capable of destroying a planet. You had the Imperial fleet hide so when the Rebel fleet arrived to destroy the machine of death, you could finally crush the entire Rebellion." She smiled and glared at Palpatine.

"The last of the Jedi, the same hero of the Rebellion, surrendered to you. You still tried to turn him, and when he wouldn't, you decided to kill him." The Senator looked around at the Senate. "Do you really want that? Do you?" Silence greeted her. "Well, I'll just tell you that this story _does _have a happy ending." She cleared her throat. "Palpatine, you are killed by your apprentice. The Jedi lives. The machine of death is destroyed. Your fleet is decimated. In the end, the Republic and Jedi will be restored to their rightful place and all of the victims of your cruelty have their revenge." She then turned around and walked out of the Senate building, leaving a mostly flabbergasted building full of people behind her. At least Palpatine wouldn't be Emperor anymore. _Now to check up on the others_, she thought.

* * *

Obi-Wan was making his way back to the base that the clones had set up. He had defeated Grievous, but he knew he was never going to get near pinwheels ever again. During the chase that had ensued after the first half of the battle, Obi-Wan had dropped his lightsaber. If Anakin ever found out, Obi-Wan knew he would never hear the end of it. Luckily, the feathered-dragon was fast, and before he knew it, Obi-Wan had found the base camp. Commander Cody was there, holding Obi-Wan's lightsaber. "This yours?" he asked, knowing that Obi-Wan had always admonished Anakin whenever the younger had lost his lightsaber during a mission. 

"Yes. Thank you for retrieving it," Obi-Wan replied.

"The one time Anakin could have told you off, he isn't here..." Cody chuckled as he gave the lightsaber back to Obi-Wan.

Draygo sauntered over and addressed Obi-Wan. "General. Congrats on your victory. I think the war's almost over. In fact, only one thing remains," he said cryptically.

Obi-Wan was confused. "What do you mean?"

"The elimination of the starter of the war," Kettch replied.

"We just received a communiqué from one of our friends. She used to work in the Senate and just delivered a speech she's wanted to since me and Kid saved her from the Death Star," Draygo explained.

Tycho glared at Draygo. "The _Princess_ said that she left the Senate in a state near that of a riot. There should be a coup by the end of the day."

"Sooner, I should think," Halcyon commented. "I'm pretty sure Luke wouldn't stand around and do nothing."

"Hell, he's probably going to be in the group that arrests Palpatine," Kettch and the rest of the "181" agreed.

"You really think they're just going to arrest him?" Draygo asked. "I thought they'd execute him immediately."

"He hasn't done anything completely horrible compared to what he had before," Hobbie mentioned. "But that doesn't mean that I think he shouldn't be executed eventually. However, we don't really have any proof that we're telling the truth."

"What about Order 66?" Halcyon suddenly brought up. "Palpatine could still activate the order and cause all of the Jedi out on the fronts to be murdered!"

"What!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "There's an order to kill all... Who would do the executing?" Obi-Wan realized the answer to his question. "Of course, the clones... We need to put out a warning to all of the Jedi!"

Tamtel, who had just entered the scene, nodded. "Already done. 'Carrie' commed Yoda and explained the situation. The warning's already gone out, but it won't be needed if Palpatine doesn't have time to issue the order. She called back to say that there's already a group of Jedi who are about to arrest Palpatine. It's comprised of four Jedi, Mace Windu and Agen Kolar among them. From what Carrie said, they're two of the best bladesmen in the galaxy. There are also supposed to be two more Jedi who are to hang back and fight only if it gets desperate. Carrie didn't say who the rest were. She wasn't able to get the information or wasn't able to tell me. Someone else came over and wanted to talk to her."

"I hope she didn't get arrested again," Draygo groaned. "I'm not jumping down another trash chute to rescue her."

"Long story," Kettch added once he saw that Obi-Wan was a little confused.

Tamtel was staring at a support beam, deep in concentration, as if trying to remember one last thing that Carrie had told him to relay to the group. _What did she say? "There's gonna be a riot soon. I got to go..." Then Leia'd looked off the screen. (Why did she pick Carrie as a pseudonym, I wonder?) She wasn't surprised... I'd have called her calmer than before, but she sped up. "About Order 66: I managed to rig it so it would only go to one place. I don't know what place, but---" She looked off screen again. "I have to go. 66 is Utapau!" Great. Time to leave, then. _"With all due respect, you should get the hell out of here, General Kenobi." Everyone stared at Tamtel. "Order 66, if sent, will only be able to reach one place. Here."

Vykk turned to Obi-Wan. "Damn. You're just as much a disaster-magnet as Luke. Maybe even worse." Obi-Wan nodded, suddenly remembering how much trouble he'd caused in the past even before Anakin had entered the equation.

"Maybe it comes with being a Jedi?" Kettch suggested.

The Corellian smuggler rolled his eyes. "Be a good Ewok and shut up."

"Ha-ha, Han. Real funny," shot back the leader of the starfighter squadron.

"I mean it, Wedge," Han said, gesturing to the clone troopers. "They're talking to someone on a comlink. I was trying to listen."

"Oh, damn it all," Hobbie swore. "That means we have to get out of here."

"And quick," Han replied. He turned to 'Halcyon'. "Corran, go power the _Falcon_ up."

"Aye, aye, General," Corran replied, adding a little sarcasm to his response. Before Han could add anything, Corran said, "I know, I know. 'Scratch the paint and die'."

"I take it you had no back up plan?" Obi-Wan asked Han, noting the real names of Corran, Han, and Wedge.

"If he had a back-up plan, he wouldn't be Han Solo," 'Tamtel' commented wryly.

"Shut up, Lando," Han growled. "Why is everyone picking on me today?"

"Because you won the sabacc pot," Lando replied, grinning.

* * *

How they had fit Rogue Squadron, Lando, Obi-Wan, and himself in the Falcon, Han would never know. He had to admit, there was a point when he was thinking of stuffing Tycho in one of the smuggling compartments if he didn't shut up. Corran had laughed at that, and Wedge had just tried to ignore it all. Of course, Tycho couldn't do anything since Han was flying the ship. It was really too bad Chewie wasn't there. He'd been wondering where the Wookie was and if Chewie'd gone back in time at all. They had reached a consensus earlier that drinking themselves under the table had caused them to travel back in time. Leia had agreed with the hypothesis. What Han and the rest couldn't get through their heads was how the Falcon had come with them. 

For instance, Han had woken up in the pilot's seat on the Falcon when it was docked on Corellia. He had found Lando passed out in the lounge. Han had woken Lando up, and they had went to the nearest bar. There, they found what appeared to be a still-drunk Rogue Squadron doing karaoke (really badly, in Han's opinion). What had really happened was that the first thing they remembered was when they all walked into the bar. Then they had proceeded to get completely smashed again. Han and Lando were able to sober Wedge up by dumping two pitchers of ice water on him. Rogue Squadron and the two former smugglers turned Generals then decided to enlist in the space navy, seeing nothing else of any use to do since they couldn't go to Coruscant and accuse Palpatine of all the stuff they knew the megalomaniac would commit. They'd be dragged off to insane asylums. That was how they met up with Obi-Wan.

Leia, Han and the rest had learned, had woken up on Alderaan. She had wandered around the planet for a few hours before going to see her adoptive father and asked to be his aide for a while. He asked why, and she had explained that Palpatine was the spawn of satan and needed to be stopped. She just wanted a chance to tell the Senate this and would take any and all responsibility. Organa had agreed. That was how she had been able to get into the Senate and give the speech.

Han sighed and shouted, "Shut up!" to everyone. God, they were loud. He could hear them all the way from the lounge. He turned to Obi-Wan, who was in the cabin along with Corran, who was copiloting in Chewie's stead. "Look. We need to decide where to go. Any suggestions?"

"Alderaan!" Tycho exclaimed from somewhere in the ship. Han glared in his general direction. He could understand why Tycho wanted to go, but they could go there later.

"Maybe we should go to Coruscant?" Corran suggested. "It seems to be where all the action is. Again."

"I agree," Obi-Wan said. "It would probably be best. There might be more trouble brewing..." Corran nodded and started getting ready to go into hyperspace.

"And Palpatine still has to be captured," Lando added, walking in from the lounge. "It seemed to me that Leia might have been underestimating how big the reaction to her speech was." He gestured to the lounge. "Wedge and I have been watching the 'Net, and let's just say that we're lucky it hasn't been deemed an actual rebellion yet, complete with clone troops. Half the Senate wants Palpatine hanged, the other half wants him canonized."

"Then it'll be just like the old days, except instead of stormtroopers, we'd be fighting their not-so-accuracy-challenged counterparts. It's so weird!" Han turned back to Obi-Wan. "Who was the template for the clones, anyway?"

"Jango Fett," Obi-Wan replied, wondering why everyone else in the cabin suddenly were staring at him in shock.

"He doesn't happen to be related to _Boba_ Fett, does he?" Han asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, he was Jango's son, in a manner of speaking," Obi-Wan replied. "Why do you ask?"

Lando smiled nervously. "Well, Han and I sort of earned his complete and eternal hatred when he had been trying to catch Han. We turned the tables against him when I was able to use the drug he had used on Han against him. It was a mind control drug, so he was pretty pissed off at us telling him what to do."

"Even though all we said was basically for him to go to the opposite side of the galaxy," Han added as he activated the hyperdrive. "It could have been worse."

* * *

Leia stared at the Senator who had come to her defense in the Senate, barely remembering to hang up the comlink on the comstation. "Uh, Senator..." _Name, name, name... Amidala! That was it! _"Senator Amidala. Thank you for defending what I was saying on the floor today," Leia managed to say. 

The Senator shook her head. "It wasn't a problem. In fact, many of the Senators have wanted an excuse to depose the Chancellor for a while now. It's really appreciated."

"I guess this was yours?" Leia asked, holding up a piece of paper that an general Senate aide had handed to her. It had the information about the Jedi arresting Palpatine on it. Leia had been given it after she had disabled Order 66. Palpatine's comm system would never work the same again.

Senator Amidala took the offered paper and read it. "Oh, no... Palpatine's the Sith Lord that the Jedi have been trying to find for so long!"

Leia blinked. "You didn't know? I mean, it would make sense if his apprentice was a Dark Lord of the Sith."

Amidala looked at Leia in amusement. "You really are from the future, aren't you?"

Leia nodded. "Yes. I've wanted to give that speech for so long! The Senate was dissolved right after I was captured smuggling the plans for the Death Star," she explained. Amidala nodded absentmindedly, trying to figure out the rest of the paper's information. Leia noticed, and spoke up. "As far as I could figure out, it says that there are six Jedi going to arrest the Emperor---I mean Chancellor. Two of them are to be a rear guard. The only names I could find were Mace Windu and Agen Kolar, apparently two of the best bladesmen in the Jedi ranks."

"Oh. That's all you could get, too?" Amidala asked, rather frustrated. "I thought there would be a little more to it..." She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked, curious.

"I just know who one of the other four Jedi is going to be. He's such an idiot sometimes!" Amidala shook her head. "I hope he doesn't get himself killed."

"Who?" Leia asked. She didn't want to be nosy, but she wanted to know.

"I guess since you're from the future, telling you won't make any difference. You probably already know. My husband---he's a Jedi. A headstrong, arrogant, trigger-happy, dauntless fool!" Amidala leaned against the wall. "He better not do anything stupid. If he does, I swear I'll kill him."

Leia grinned. "Your husband sounds like my brother. He gets into so much trouble without even trying. Sometimes I have to wonder about Luke's sanity."

"Luke...? Wait. Do you mean Luke Skywalker?" Amidala asked. "I know him! My husband and he were assigned the same mission from the Council a few days ago."

"Really?" was the only think Leia could say at that point. _Luke used his real name. That was really smart,_ Leia thought sarcastically.

"Yes. My husband introduced him as his 'second or third cousin, twice removed.' Anakin really needs to think up some more creative excuses."

_Time to ask the question. _"Senator Amidala? My name isn't really Carrie. It's Leia."

"Oh! Where are my manners? My first name's Padmé," she introduced herself.

"Your husband doesn't happen to be Anakin _Skywalker_, does it?" Leia asked, bracing herself for the answer.

"Well, yes. He is. Look, I don't know what it's like in the future, but you won't tell anyone, will you? It's sort of a secret right now because he could have been kicked out of the Order. Obi-Wan found out, somehow, and Anakin was goofy enough to spill the beans." Amidala sighed. "It's not that I blame him, because I know how much Anakin wanted to be able to tell. He hates keeping secrets from his friends, especially Obi-Wan."

"Well, I don't know how to say this, but I think I'm your daughter."

"Oh. That's nice."

"That's it? No reaction?"

Padmé smiled. "I wasn't so sure when I met your brother. Anakin _did_ give a semi-plausible argument. However, anyone who can't see the resemblance between you and me is blind or just plain oblivious. For instance, you father would be a good example of the oblivious." Leia could only laugh in response.

* * *

_Review Responses:_

_**RandomIdiot**: Thank you, and I'll think about it. Someone has to break it to him sometime._

_**Yuna-flowering**: Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to fit Mara in. The time that everyone from the Classic Trilogy is from is in between the capture of Coruscant and The Courtship of Princess Leia, so they don't know Mara yet. I wanted to have her in it, though. She might make a cameo, but who knows?_

_ **Trinity Day**: That's what a friend of mine said, and lo and behold, here she is._

_**All of the Reviewers**: Thank you very much for reviewing.  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey, everyone! I just watched Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith again. They inspired me to comeup with some of the stuff in the chapter you're about to read. I love those films. The music's so awesome! Anyway, thank you (as usual) for reviewing, favorting the story, or adding the story to your story alert list. Thanks for reading, too! I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_

* * *

Anakin and Luke were riding in the same speeder to the Chancellor's Office to stand as back up for Mace and the other three Jedi. Halfway there, Luke started to have misgivings about going to help fight. After all, the last time he had fought with a Dark Lord, he had almost turned to the dark side and then almost been killed by Palpatine. There was also the fact that he had to block out all of those memories as well as every memory of anything from the future when fighting, lest Palpatine try to read his mind. The last time, all he had to hide was the fact that Leia existed! 

"Something troubling you?" Anakin asked. "You seem to be a little troubled." Anakin revised what he said. "I mean, more troubled than I would have thought a Jedi who had already fought Sith would be."

_Should I tell him?_ Luke wondered. _No... I'll leave some parts out. _"It has to do with the last time I fought the Sith. I knew that one of them wouldn't kill me. He was the one that I actually dueled with. I... won the battle and basically told the other that he could go to hell. I wouldn't fight. The second Sith then tried to kill me, but he died before he finished me off."

"It doesn't sound that bad. The first time I fought Dooku, he cut my arm off. That was the first time I'd fought a Sith Lord. True, he was the apprentice, but that doesn't mean that they aren't good at dueling."

"I shouldn't be this nervous," Luke admitted. "I guess it's just that..." He sighed. "It's different here. There are more Jedi, and I know that if I did die that someone else could come and close ranks. Back home... I'm---Let's just say I'm under a lot more pressure."

"I really screwed up the Prophecy, then?" Anakin asked. He only got a confused look in return. "You know, the Prophecy! Where they're be a 'Chosen One' who would bring balance to the Force? I, unfortunately, have the curse of being the Chosen One."

Luke smiled sadly. "No, you didn't screw it up. You fulfilled the prophecy."

He turned to Luke. "Look, I won't turn to the Dark Side, and I have you to thank for it. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been around. So no worries, okay?"

"I won't worry about that." _No... but what if **I** turn?_

Anakin smiled. "And don't worry about turning, either. It's a waste of time and energy. Trust me, there are better things to use both on."

Luke nodded, and by the time they had reached the building, he had regained his calm. _Someone in the Senate really must have said something that really caused a riot..._ he thought, looking around at the chaos. However, despite the riot, Luke was surprised to find that the crowd parted for the Jedi. Maybe they knew why the Jedi were going to see Palpatine. Now why would they know that? Luke groaned. "I just had to think that, didn't I?"

Confused, Anakin asked, "What?"

"My friend, the Senator. I thought that the only way that this whole situation could get worse was if she showed up. I think she might have given her 'The Emperor Is a Murderer' speech."

"The Emperor?"

"Palpatine. He becomes Emperor---well, became Emperor. He probably won't anymore. My friend, she hates the Emperor more than anyone else in the entire universe." _Except maybe Vader_, Luke added silently.

In a couple minutes, they were at the door to Palpatine's office. Luckily, all of the guards had disappeared; the group of Jedi hadn't run into any. Mace turned to Anakin and Luke. "You two stay out here unless two of us fall. If two of the group die, then you can come in." He turned to Anakin. "Please, at least this time, _try_ to follow orders." After Anakin promised that he would, the other four Jedi, lead by Mace, went into Palpatine's office.

Anakin turned to Luke. "How many minutes do you give them before they call for help, and we have to come in and save their skins?"

"We shouldn't be betting on this!" Luke replied. Anakin stared at him. "Ten at most."

* * *

Back on the _Millennium Falcon_, everyone had ended up playing sabacc since there had been nothing else to do but wait. To everyone's surprise, Obi-Wan was winning. How he was winning, nobody knew, but they all knew he was not cheating. Eventually, no one was really betting anything anyway, so the Rogues started talking about what would happen after Palpatine was deposed. 

"Hey, Han. What are you going to do when this is all over?" Wedge asked. Everyone knew what Wedge was insinuating, but nobody said anything about it.

"I dunno." Han sighed. "You know, what happens if, when we do go back to our time, we don't go back to our reality as well? Would we still all know each other? I mean, a lot of my life would have been different if the Empire hadn't existed, and I can't say I know where I would be. Maybe I would never have been a smuggler. Maybe I would have been a officer in the Republic's navy. I just don't know how we decided to take this chance."

"That was a little too deep for this conversation," Lando pointed out. "But you are right, Han. I wouldn't have known you if you hadn't been a smuggler living on Nar Shaada."

"If you hadn't been a smuggler, you wouldn't have met Luke, and therefore Leia either," Wedge added. "Heck, that brings up another whole slew of questions."

"No Rebellion means we would probably never meet," Corran murmured. "Well, I should amend that. I'd probably still know Luke, but that's it."

"Alderaan would be a planet still," Tycho mentioned. "I'd be happy, as would everyone else who was off Alderaan at the time of it's destruction."

"Yeah. That's one of the best reasons for changing the past. All the planets that were destroyed..." Han admitted. "I'll miss everyone, but this is probably a change for the better." All the Rebels agreed.

"Of course, if you go back to where you're from, thank you for changing this reality," Obi-Wan said. "I have a feeling this place will turn out better thanks to all of you."

Han shook his head. "Not us. We're just the ones that blow stuff up and help the danger-magnets. Leia's the politician who has made the Senate ready to accept that Palpatine has to be deposed, and Luke's a Jedi. He probably did something once he decided not to sit around and do nothing."

"Oh, the Council assigned Luke to follow Anakin around. I think he talked some sense into Anakin," Obi-Wan mentioned.

"They're both crazy, regardless," Han remarked.

Wedge concentrated on something that had been bothering him since he had watched the news. "Obi-Wan, as a reward for (for lack of a better term) contributing in the salvation of the galaxy, we'd like to have a private chat with Palpatine after he's captured."

"Oh, God, no," Corran murmured, knowing exactly what Wedge was thinking about.

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To... 'discuss' certain things," Wedge replied with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Han started laughing. "Please say you mean the legendary Rogue Squadron initiation ceremony!" he managed to remark in between laughing.

"Do I even want to know?" Obi-Wan asked. Corran shook his head. Obi-Wan turned to Wedge. "Sure. Why not? You can ask permission from whoever are the ones containing Palpatine." Obi-Wan revised his statement. "Excluding Anakin. He'd probably demand to take part in whatever antic you plan to do."

* * *

By the time all of the lightsabers had turned on, Mace sensed the two Skywalkers coming. They hadn't even waited five minutes. Palpatine lunged at Saesee Tiin, and Saesee fell. Kit Fisto fell next. Agen was about to be impaled when Anakin and Luke rushed into the room. Palpatine jumped back, surprised that there were backups and that one of them was Anakin. "You can still surrender, Palpatine!" Mace declared. "Although the Senate would be more likely to convict now that you've killed Jedi." 

"Palpatine's recording the conversation," Luke noted. "It would have been evidence to show how rebellious the Jedi were or some nonsense like that."

Palpatine glared at Luke. "You! You're the one! The Destroyer in my visions!"

Luke smiled spitefully. "You mean the only one that could destroy you?"

"No. You would turn to the Dark Side by striking down Skywalker and becoming my apprentice, thus setting you on the path to become the most powerful Sith to have ever lived!" Palpatine cackled

Anakin didn't even flinch throughout what Palpatine said. "I should have expected you to betray me. It's the Sith way."

Luke shook his head. "No. I've already faced both you and Lord Vader. Anakin won and saved my life. You lost, Palpatine."

Anakin reiterated, "Again, in the name of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order---"

"And the Rebel Alliance, you are under arrest, Emperor Palpatine," Luke finished.

"You really expect me to surrender?" Palpatine asked. "Where have Masters Windu and Kolar gone?" Anakin turned back to see that they were, in fact, missing, and that's when Palpatine struck. Luke activated his lightsaber and parried the attack, but he was driven backward by the force of the blow.

While Palpatine was executing a flurry of attacks against Luke, who was barely able to block all of them, Anakin ignited his lightsaber and swung at Palpatine. The Sith Lord parried, but by the time Luke had recovered and waged an attack of his own, Palpatine was ready to block that attack, too. Gradually, the fight moved out of the inner office and into the corridor that connected the outer and inner offices. Reflecting that it was starting to get annoying to have the two Jedi continue their onslaught, Palpatine used the Force to throw Luke through the hallway and into the window of the outer office, causing the glass to shatter.

Anakin was about to disengage to go help Luke, but Palpatine began fighting more fiercely since there were half the Jedi to concentrate on. Nevertheless, Anakin was still able to move the fight into the outer office, where Mace and Agen had been waiting to strike.

The two Jedi Masters then ambushed Palpatine from both sides. Palpatine used the Force to take Saesee Tiin's lightsaber and used that blade to block the two Masters. Anakin was proving to be harder to defeat than both combined, so Palpatine blocked the other two when he needed, but concentrated on his fight with Anakin. After deciding that it would be worth the distraction to get rid of the Masters, Palpatine impaled Kolar with Tiin's lightsaber, then blocked one of Mace's attacks, and blasted the Force at Anakin, who flew into the wall and was knocked unconscious as Luke had been.

"You will not win, Palpatine!" Mace exclaimed and pressed his attack. The purple and red blades sparked every time they met; both combatants attacked but their opponent then parried perfectly. Palpatine would sidestep an attack, Mace would move so that his blade would strike, but Palpatine still was able to parry. The stalemate between the Sith and the Jedi continued.

* * *

_Anakin was walking through the dark hallways of his dream, not quite sure where he was traveling. Finally, he reached a turbolift. It had just been in use. Not knowing what else to do, he pushed the button that had been pushed before hand. When the lift's doors opened, he saw a battle raging between what he then knew to be the last of the Jedi and the last of the Sith. Well, the second to last of the Sith. Palpatine was watching the battle._

_Both combatants were dressed in black, but in the Force, one was a bright light while the other was a black maw. The latter was in black armor, but Anakin couldn't tell what the other looked like. The level of lighting definitely left things to be desired for. What kind of idiot builds a battle station without proper lighting? Anakin halted his thinking. How had he known that this was a battle station? His gaze drifted to the windows behind Palpatine, who was obviously enjoying the show inside. There was a great battle going on out in space, but it appeared to Anakin that the ones fighting against Palpatine's forces were losing._

_Anakin stalked towards Palpatine, lightsaber activated. He swung down at the ghastly Emperor, but the blade went right through the Sith. Palpatine hadn't even noticed Anakin, let alone the saber. "Am I a ghost?" Anakin wondered out loud. No one noticed. Anakin turned his attention back to the battle between the other Sith and the last Jedi. All he could really see was a green blur against a red blur, neither really winning. Then the Jedi jumped up onto the gantry overhead of the platform he and the Sith had been fighting on. "I will not fight you, Father!" said the Jedi._

_Anakin froze. He knew that voice. Luke had fought his own father? Anakin could only watch the rest of the fight in shock. He couldn't hear anything else but that one sentence repeating over and over. Luke had said he had won. Did he kill his father? Anakin's strain of thought broke when he heard Luke yell, "Never!" in response to something his father, the Sith, had said. The battle then rapidly escalated, and less than a minute later, the Sith was on the floor with Luke's lightsaber at his throat. Anakin noted that the Sith's right hand had been cut off. The cross-section was what disturbed him, though. Like Anakin, the Sith's hand was mechanical._

_Anakin walked over, knowing what had to come next, but what he expected didn't happen. Luke looked at his own hand, then turned his lightsaber off and threw it away from him. "I will not turn. I am a Jedi, like my father before me," Luke said to Palpatine. Anakin felt like cheering._

_Palpatine, however, didn't take it as well and frowned. "So be it, Jedi," Palpatine said, saying the last word with particular malice._

_

* * *

_

When Anakin awoke, Luke was still unconscious on the floor, and Mace was still battling Palpatine, and they were still stalemated. Anakin somehow knew that Palpatine could only be stopped by one person: himself. He wasn't sure if it had to do with the vision, but he knew it was true. Anakin picked up his lightsaber and stalked over to Palpatine. "I saw the vision of the future you were talking about, but it was incomplete. Luke doesn't turn. He wouldn't kill the apprentice you had fight him."

Mace ignored what Anakin was saying but was grateful for the opportunity it had presented him: Palpatine was distracted. Mace didn't hear what Palpatine said in reply, but instead mounted another attack. Palpatine's lightsaber was batted away and fell off the ledge through the shattered window. Palpatine was shocked to find that his lightsaber had been disposed of. He backed up against the wall. Mace lifted the saber to Palpatine's throat. "You are under arrest."

Anakin saw the irony that something similar was supposed to happen in the future, but knew that Palpatine was beyond saving from the Dark Side. As much as he regretted it, Palpatine was to stand trial. He had to stand trial. The Constitution would have to be changed back to what it had been. The most trustworthy of the Senators would be the jury. Surely no one would argue against that?

Strangely enough, even though he was cornered, Palpatine smiled wickedly. Anakin knew what would come next. Palpatine then started shooting Force Lightning at Mace, who was using his sword style, Vaapad, to channel it through him and back at Palpatine. Anakin could only watch in horror as Palpatine was hit with the full force of the shock at point blank range, causing the skin on Palpatine's face to melt like wax in a fire.

Out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw Luke stand up and walk over. "Finished resisting yet?" Luke asked Palpatine. The comment only caused Palpatine to divert some of the lightning at Luke, who tried to block it but couldn't. Luke crumpled under the energy barrage and fell on to the floor. Anakin, who couldn't bare to watch, stepped in front of Palpatine and blocked the lightning with the Force. "That was stupid of me," Luke said weakly. "Thanks again."

Anakin nodded in reply, then focused on blocking the lightning. The captive energy built up in a sphere where he had his hands up. Once he felt Mace starting to give out, Anakin threw the energy blast back at Palpatine. At that point, Palpatine stopped generating the lightning and started begging for mercy. "I give up! Please Master Jedi! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

Anakin saw through the lies. "He's not finished yet," he told Mace. "Watch out."

"He's too dangerous to be left alive," Mace replied.

Anakin shook his head. "No. He must stand trial. The jury can decide how severe his punishment will be."

"He controls the courts!" Mace retorted. "He controls the Senate!"

"Nothing controls the Senate but itself," a woman whom Anakin didn't know said. She walked in and picked up Luke's lightsaber. "Yet they aren't controlling themselves very well today," she continued, gesturing to the rioting outside. "I agree with Master Windu, by the way. Palpatine should die."

"He should stand trial," Luke said, slowly standing up. Anakin paid more attention to Palpatine now that there was an argument brewing.

"And be tried by whom? The Rogues?" she asked with a laugh.

"That would be amusing, but I was thinking more of Mon Mothma and Senator Organa. Maybe Senator Amidala and the other Organa as well," Luke replied. "Why not add Yoda, Master Windu, and Obi-Wan as well? Maybe even some of the Rogues!"

"Fine. Have it your way, Luke." The woman glared at Palpatine and handed Luke back his lightsaber. He was weak and shaky from being shocked by the lightning, but he could still fight. She drew a blaster and leveled it at Palpatine. "So, the choice is yours, Palpatine: surrender or die."

"You! You're the one that caused the riot in the Senate!" Palpatine shouted, ignoring the fact that Mace, Anakin, and now Luke had their lightsabers at his throat and that the woman was pointing a blaster at his head.

"Yes. My family just hates you, doesn't it?" she stated with a smile as Padmé entered the room with a furry, snakelike creature. Neither Anakin nor Mace noticed her enter. Luke only knew because he turned around. "The ysalamir is here only to ensure that you won't be able to escape once you are arrested. You do know what a ysalamir is, right? It's the reason that the Jedi avoid the planet they're from. The Zoo was more than willing to let us borrow it once we explained how a certain Sith was trying to take over the galaxy."

As she spoke, about thirty troopers came in to oversee the arrest along with the Senators from which they had been borrowed: Bail Organa, Garm Bel Ibis, and Mon Mothma. The last group of people to walk in included Obi-Wan and was lead by yet another person Anakin didn't know who was blatantly Corellian and swinging a pair of handcuffs on his index finger. The unnamed woman rolled her eyes and murmured, "Late, as usual," as the Corellian spoke to Luke. "Hey, Kid. How're things?"

Luke grinned and replied, "Same as always."

Also grinning, the Corellian replied, "That bad, huh?"


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey everyone! Guess what? This is the last chapter! So, thank you all for reading this story. I really appreciate it, and thank you to all of you who have reviewed, everyone who added this to their favorites list, and everyone who has added this to their story alert list. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this final installment of "Fixing A Hole"!_

* * *

"Now what do we do?" the Corellian asked once Palpatine had been put in handcuffs and tied to a chair with engine tape. The ysalamir was out of reach, but it's no-Force bubble extended far enough to include Palpatine inside it. Needless to say, all of the Jedi were keeping their distance from the sessile snakelike creature. Anakin was a little freaked out by the ysalamir and it's unique ability. "I swear to the Force, that snake is staring at me!" he exclaimed. 

The woman rolled her eyes. Anakin guessed she was Alderaanian, but wasn't quite sure. She looked a lot like Padmé, so he started to wonder if she was from Naboo instead. "Are you really this spastic?" she demanded.

Cutting off Anakin's answer, the Corellian repeated, "I said, now what do we do?"

"I have an idea!" another, more respectable-looking Corellian exclaimed, but he was answered by a resounding, "No!" from the group he was part of. Anakin wondered if they were from the future like Luke.

Obi-Wan was pacing back and forth across the room, thinking. "Well, we need to keep him somewhere while the Senate calms down... and then there's the problem of the trial." He turned to Luke and the Alderaanian woman. "What happened to Palpatine where you're from?"

Luke and the Alderaanian, who Anakin figured out was the Senator which Luke had mentioned, exchanged glances, and Luke reluctantly answered. "He was killed by Anakin."

Anakin blinked a few times. "But there were only three people in the badly lit throne room on that battle station: you, Palpatine, and..." He trailed off as he realized who the last had been. "Oh." So that was how Obi-Wan had figured out that he and Padmé were married. It would also explain the reason that Luke had been reluctant to give his name. Anakin then remembered that Luke hadn't told him his real name, but the Alderaanian and obnoxious Corellian had called him that. Regardless, now Luke's behavior made sense.

Padmé rolled her eyes. "It sure took you long enough!" she told Anakin, guessing he had just figured out that he and Luke actually were related.

"You know, a lot more things make sense now," the Corellian noted. "I mean, Leia, we now know where your impatience and sarcasm come from." For that comment, the Alderaanian, whom Anakin now knew was named Leia, hit the annoying Corellian on the back of the head. "Temper, too," he added, "but we already knew that." She hit him again.

"Han, please stop; you'll only make it worse," Luke asked the vexing Corellian. Anakin noticed he was running out of adjectives synonymous with annoying to call Han. Becoming fed up with not knowing who everyone was, Anakin just asked Luke who some of the others were. Luke told him while Han kept talking.

"I know," Han replied with a grin. "But if I keep it up, she'll eventually agree." Leia only glared at him for saying that. Han turned back to Obi-Wan. "Have a solution yet?"

Obi-Wan sighed, still concentrating on and coming up with a solution for what to do with Palpatine. "If there is a trial, and Palpatine is sentenced to death, who would be the executioner?" Han rose his hand to volunteer. Obi-Wan didn't notice. "Then what if he's sentenced to life in prison? Or, Force forbid, he's acquitted?"

Wedge shook his head. "Obi-Wan, you need to relax. Let someone else deal with it. All we really have to do is turn him over to the Senate. We can let the Senate deal with him." Wedge remembered that there were Senators in the room. "Sorry. What I meant was that we'll get to that once we get there. I mean, the Republic wasn't built in a day!"

"Is that the right metaphor?" Anakin asked one of the guys next to him, another Corellian. The Corellian shrugged and replied, "It's close enough, and Wedge does have a good point."

"So now what do we do?" Han asked again.

"I have an idea," Wedge announced. Half of Rogue Squadron groaned, and Luke hid a grin with his hand. Han resisted the impulse to laugh hysterically. Wedge turned to the Senators. "Where's the nearest refresher, and does anyone have a video camera?" Anakin was now extremely curious.

Leia figured it out first and then denied Wedge's idea. "No. You are not doing that. While I would enjoy footage of Rogue Squadron giving Palpatine a swirly shortly followed by an atomic wedgie, I do believe that it is cruel and unusual punishment, thereby against the rules of war."

Padmé couldn't decide what was funnier: the idea itself, the confusion apparent on the faces of the Senators and their guards, the look of horror on Palpatine's face, the look on Anakin's face which was somewhere between horror and amusement, how Leia had said that with a completely straight face, or how Obi-Wan had missed the entire exchange.

Luke, now appearing to be completely serious, agreed with Leia. "Sorry Wedge, but it's just too dangerous to move him."

_That_, Padmé decided, _definitely takes the cake._

* * *

After they decided to leave Palpatine where he was, the group had dispersed. The Rogues (and Lando) had gone to the nearest bar and had been funded by Senator Bel Ibis to drink as much as they wanted. They were also offered rooms in a really posh hotel by Mace on behalf of the Jedi since they had saved Obi-Wan from what the Jedi had thought was certain death. No one bothered to correct them. Not even Obi-Wan, who had been told the entire story of the Empire and Rebellion (complete with sound effects) after the group of on the _Falcon_ had gotten bored with playing cards. 

At Padmé's urging, Luke and Leia decided to break the news to Anakin. Padmé thought it would probably be best that they told him at her apartment since they couldn't well say that in a public place. Han went with them because he was a little curious to see what Anakin had been like before he was Vader. Han's ulterior motive was that Leia was going. Obi-Wan had went along as well because he really didn't want to make the report to the Council that he was not on Utapau anymore because a squadron of fighter pilots and two former smugglers from the future spirited him away before his clone troopers could turn on him. Of course, Obi-Wan had a feeling that Anakin's reaction to what Luke and Leia had to say would be priceless. Han, apparently, was prepared for such a situation.

Back at the apartment, Han and Leia were surprised to see Threepio greet them at the door. "Why's Goldenrod here?" Han asked Luke.

Anakin heard Han's comment and raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You didn't tell him _this_, either?" Han accused Luke, exasperated. He turned to Anakin. "Look. One way or another, Threepio ends up entering into Her Highness' service. Why do you ask?"

Anakin shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "No reason, really. It's just that I built him." Han stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened in shock. Noticing the effect of those words on Han, Anakin continued. "I also won the Boonta Eve Classic when I was about eight."

Han's jaw dropped. "Podracing? Wait. You said you _won_ a podrace? When you were eight!" Anakin nodded. "That's insane! I've never heard of a human even surviving a race, let alone winning one!"

Padmé giggled. "Anakin, stop scaring our guest!" He murmured, "Fine," before she continued. "We have something to tell you."

Anakin guessed what she was about to say. "I know, I know. Luke's..." Anakin couldn't find the words to finish the sentence.

"Yeah," Luke finished. The fact that Anakin was Luke's father didn't need to be said. Everyone in the room already knew.

"That's not all," Leia continued, smiling. Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Han take something out of his pocket. "I am your daughter."

"Ah. Ha," Anakin said before dissolving into nervous laughter and then fainting.

"I didn't expect that," Leia commented frankly. In a fit of laughter, Padmé nodded. Obi-Wan couldn't help but grin because not only did Anakin, the so-called invincible Hero With No Fear, faint, but Han caught it all on film.

* * *

After Anakin regained consciousness, everyone sat down for dinner. Han was overjoyed to be eating real food after having to eat rations for so long. About halfway during dinner, Leia decided to stay with Han aboard the _Falcon_. Anakin didn't particularly like that now that he knew Leia was his daughter, and he told her this. She had replied that she was an adult and could do whatever she wanted. Despite Obi-Wan's protests, the argument turned into a shouting match. Han had decided to make popcorn and watch, but the fighting got to loud, so he and the others had moved into a different room. 

"You know, we do have enough room here for all three of you to stay," Padmé mentioned to Han.

"Thanks, while I appreciate it, I'd rather stay with my ship," Han replied.

"The _Falcon_'s here?" Luke asked, somewhat amazed that the ship had traveled back in time with them.

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. "Han managed to fit himself, Lando, Rogue Squadron, and myself in it on the way back from Utapau."

"Wow," Luke said before Leia stormed into the room.

"How can you stand him!" she asked Padmé before venting her frustrations on everyone else as well. "He's so overprotective, and for God's sake, I'm older than him!" Luke and Han stayed silent, causing Obi-Wan to take the hint and not say anything either.

Padmé smiled. "Don't worry. By the time that you're the age you are now, I'll make sure that he calms down enough to let you make your own decisions. But for now, I think it might be a good idea to do what he says."

"If you insist," Leia sulked off to go tell Anakin she "changed her mind."

Once she was gone, Han asked, "Does anyone know the real reason Anakin cares?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan told him. "He doesn't like you."

"Great," Han said. "I'm never going to be on that guy's good side, am I?"

Luke shrugged. "At least he didn't freeze you in carbonite this time." Han glared.

* * *

Later in the week, Padmé went to go before the Council. She had written up an entire speech to give which would be begging them to keep Anakin in the Order. Everything was looking up besides the Council's impending decision, and Padmé hoped it would keep going that way. Right before she had left to meet Anakin at the Temple, Padmé had received a call from the Queen of Naboo, asking Padmé to return to her position as Senator after her children were born. Padmé had accepted immediately, having thought that she would have had to resign. 

Obi-Wan walked out of the Council's chambers and came over to Padmé. "It's time."

Padmé nodded. "How do you think it'll turn out?" she asked him before they entered. Obi-Wan shook his head. Padmé took a deep breath as they entered the Council's chambers.

"Welcome," Yoda said. "Ask you some questions, will we."

"I know," Padméreplied. There went her plans for a speech.

"First, fair do you think the rule against marriage is?"

"Fair? That's quite a subjective word. It all depends on your point of view to whether it would be fair or not, but I do think that it is a fair rule. It makes sense on one level."

"Next, what do you think would turn Anakin to the Dark Side?" Mace asked.

"Fear of loss, definitely."

It was Obi-Wan's turn to speak. "Do you think that if Anakin hadn't told me that you were married that he would have turned to the Dark Side?"

Padmé thought about that question. If Anakin had had only Palpatine to talk to about his dreams, then... "Yes. Palpatine would have convinced him that the only way to save me was by using the Dark Side. If he had turned to the dark side, then I would have left him, maybe even died, meaning that his dreams would have been self-fulfilling. What an irony that would have been."

Yoda's ears perked up. "Talked to me about that vision did he."

"So you think that because he had to hide the fact that you were married that Anakin was more likely to turn to the dark side?" Mace suggested.

Padmé nodded resolutely. "Yes." She decided to continue. " I have a question to pose to you. How can love bring darkness? Love is what saved Anakin! It's not right. How can you disallow marriage?"

"Truth be told, it's not like we can strictly enforce the rule. A certain line of Corellians has adamantly refused to obey it for generations," Obi-Wan noted. "And it's not love that causes the Dark Side. It's the attachment that leads to greed, etc. In any case, in the other future, Jedi will end up marrying anyway, and the unmarried Jedi are the ones who turn to the Dark Side."

"Who told you that?" Padmé asked. "Leia and the others said nothing about it."

Yoda had a serene look on his face. "Have other sources do we."

A wry voice then spoke. "Meaning, someone else came from the future. Farther in the future than the others." Padmé turned around to see a woman with fiery red hair and green eyes. "The others... Skywalker's one of them, right? He still has some problems to get through, but don't worry. Everything will turn out all right in the end."

"Who are you?" Padmé asked her.

"No one in particular... Oh, and by the way, those old geezers have already decided to grant V---Anakin amnesty. Obi-Wan's just a good actor. The other two have no emotion."

"Old 'geezer' I am not!" Yoda protested.

"Would you prefer troll or gnome?" the sarcastic female Jedi asked.

"Wait, then why would you still have me come in?" Padmé asked the Council.

The Jedi shook her head. "They're trying to find out whether they should do away with the rule. Quite frankly, I know that, without attachments, a certain Jedi I know would have had a lot more problems with the Dark Side; therefore, I have to take the opinion that the rule's stupid." The woman turned to Yoda and the other Council members. "Why must you all do everything backwards?"

"Padmé, the real question is do you think that Anakin is a stronger person for he having attachments, or do you think he would have been better off alone?" Obi-Wan asked.  
Padmé knew the answer to that question immediately. "He's definitely stronger. He has something to fight for. Someone to defend. He has a cause for which he would sacrifice himself. The only stronger fighter than someone with everything to lose is someone who has nothing to lose because they've already lost everything."

"Vad---_Anakin_ is probably happier, too," the unknown Jedi added. "Not everyone is fit for a life of solitude, and the strongest Jedi seem to need someone to lean on. The gnome is exempt, of course." Yoda glared. "Speaking of old, decrepit beings, Palpatine was partially caught by Anakin, correct? Is catching the last Sith lord in existence worthy of granting the one who caught him Jedi Masterhood? Or is it still not good enough?"

"Talk too much, you do," Yoda told the Jedi.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well, my work here is done. Time to go volunteer to be Palpatine's executioner," the Jedi said cheerfully. "Oh, and Senator Amidala? I have no doubt that we will meet again. You'll know who I am. Until then." She smiled at Padmé and walked out of the Council chambers.

Padmé turned back to the Jedi Masters. "So Anakin is going to stay in the Order?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "That, and we are granting him the title of Master."

"More levelheaded has Anakin become, less angry and more calm," Yoda stated.

"He was the Jedi that Palpatine had been concentrating the most on. Palpatine and I were at a stalemate; we were equally matched. The battle hinged on Anakin," Mace admitted. "It would be wrong not to grant him the title."

* * *

While everyone else was partying and celebrating the victory against Palpatine, Han was roaming the streets of Coruscant. The city was so much brighter than it had been during the time of the Empire. It was less hostile, but Han had the feeling that that was due to the Jedi still existing. He started thinking about how he would be different in the Empire-free version of the galaxy. Han mused that he would probably turn out exactly the same. Heck, he was about ten in the current time. Han shook his head and kept walking the streets. 

After a while, Han ran into a gang causing trouble for a Wookie, and he was reminded of Chewie. The Wookie looked like Chewie, too. Starting to walk over, he noticed that the gang had drawn weapons. Mostly knives, but there was one blaster. As he got closer, it became apparent that none of the gangsters knew what the Wookie was saying. "Hey! You all! Don't you know that Wookies have been known to tear your arms off if they're angry?" he called to them. The Wookie stared at Han like he had two heads, but Han kept trying to scare the punks off.

Eventually, only the one with the blaster was left. "You really think that you can scare me off with a blaster?" Han laughed. What Han hadn't been counting on was the guy actually having the guts to shoot and had good aim. Han barely dodged in time. He drew his blaster and shot the blaster out of his opponent's hand. That scared the last gang member away real quick.

"(Thank you,)" the Wookie told Han.

"No problem," Han replied. "I was just passing by. You reminded me of a friend."

"(Really? Hm. Do you know where the Kashyyyk Consulate is located?)"

"Yeah." Han gave the Wookie the directions, answering questions as needed.

"(You understand Shyriiwook as well as most translators.)"

"As I said, I have a friend who's a Wookie." Han grinned, but his grin faltered as he saw the gang coming back, this time with larger numbers and armed to the teeth. "Oh, crap."

"(What's wrong?)"

"That gang's back. Armed, too."

"(Should we call the police?)"

"No, there isn't a station close enough. There isn't a reputable place around here. What were you doing here?"

"(I got lost. I was looking for the Consulate, but I couldn't find it. Before I knew it, I was here.)"

"I can probably get us out of here, but..."

"(Then what are we waiting for?)" the Wookie asked. Han shrugged, and they broke off in a run. About twenty minutes later, they had lost the gang and were in front of the Consulate. The Wookie turned to Han. "(Thank you very much for your assistance. I don't believe I would have made it here if not for you.)"

Han recognized what he had just done. Now another Wookie was going to pledge a life-debt to him. "Look, it was really nothing. If I hadn't come along, those thugs would have probably gotten bored after a few minutes and left. It was my fault that they came back with weapons." _Please don't pledge a life-debt._

The Wookie shook his head. "(No. It was not. You saved my life.)"

"Look, I'm really..." Han paused. "I'm from the future. Actually, it's a different reality than this now, but I'm going to go back in a day or so. I know what a life-debt means to you, but _I_ can't possibly accept it."

"(How did you know I was going to... Oh. Your friend had pledged a life-debt to you, then. I see. I also believe your story. The Force acts in strange ways. What is it that you propose?)"

"I know exactly where my younger self should be, and if you want to honor the life-debt that way, then you could find him---me. Ah, you know what I mean."

"(That sounds satisfactory. By the way, what is your name?)"

"Han Solo."

"(I am Chewbacca.)"

Han grinned. _I should have guessed._

* * *

After straightening everything out with past-Chewie, Han walked back to the hotel where all the Rogues were staying. When he got up to the room, he wasn't surprised to find that they had convinced Leia to do karaoke. She definitely sounded the best of everyone, but the fact that she was singing meant that she was plastered. Lando was pouring shots. "Hey, Lando! How about a drinking contest!" 

"Han, the last time you said that, we ended up in the past," Luke protested. He was sitting at the same table as Lando.

"Well, Kid, don't you think that might mean that we could get blasted back into the future if we repeat what we did before we left?"

"I know. I already wrote a letter to everyone explaining what happened. It'll only be opened if we do leave."

"You're already drunk, aren't you?"

"No. I'm completely sober."

"It's true, Han," Lando said. "We've been waiting for you to get back to start the drinking contest. Where've you been?"

"I ran into Chewie and saved his life," Han replied. "Now he's going to go find ten-year-old me and pledge his life debt to him... me... whatever. I feel like getting drunk."

"That's what Leia said," Luke mentioned, " and Corran convinced her to try karaoke."

"I can't wait to get back home. It's too peaceful here. I like it, but it's not what I'm used to," Han said.

"Yeah. I was starting to miss Artoo anyway."

"You need to get a girlfriend," Lando commented.

"Maybe you're right, but hey, I don't miss Threepio yet."

Han paused. "I agree with Lando. You do need a girlfriend."

"If you keep talking like that, I'm not gonna let you marry my sister."

"Fine. Fine. I'll bring it back up after she marries me."

"Good."

"Are you _sure_ you aren't drunk?"

* * *

Anakin received a letter the next day. It was from Luke. He opened the envelope and read it. _"If you're reading this, it means that we've all gone back to the future. It was ours that we went back to, probably. The fact that we got back the same way we got here is probably indicative of that. Sorry I didn't tell you who I was, but I didn't know what that would do to time and space, etc. From all of us, we'd like to tell you the following: Don't screw up. It would really suck if you turned evil anyway. Good luck with everything and whatever you do, please don't send me off to Tatooine. I swear that if there's a bright center of the universe, Tatooine is the planet that it's farthest from. Leia wants me to remind you not to use the Force to find out who she's dating in the future (Han's a good guy; he's just an outlaw). She added, 'Don't blow up Alderaan!' Please excuse her, but I think she's a little drunk. Thanks for saving the galaxy and my life again. May the Force be with you. ---Luke."_ Anakin smiled. All was well in the universe, but there was no way that he'd ever let that Han character ever date his daughter. That would happen when time travel became as simple as drinking until you pass out.

* * *

_In order to find the sequel, All the Small Things, type in the story code 2459827 in the address bar where the story code for this one is (but make sure to change the chapter number to 1 again). Or, go to my profile and find it in there somewhere. The latter way is probably easier, but the former takes less time. (And thanks for all of the reviews for this chapter. I am really flattered. Thank you very much.) Peace, out! _


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